HSBC and debt! Any advice anyone?

MadDogWoman_2

Hi MH,

I've just returned to work after 39 weeks Maternity Leave.

Welcome to the I hate the HSBC club.

I've got 3 accounts with HSBC all overdrawn as I'm on a DMP with the CCCS. I received a phone call from HSBC tonight whilst I was eating my tea, asking for more money every month, I told them I pay through CCCS if you check my account, the guy on the end of the phone then had the cheek to ask how come I'd gone overdrawn!!!!

I didn't answer the question just hung up the phone.

The other odd thing they've done is withdrawn the overdraft on the 2 smaller debts and renew the overdraft on the large overdraft!!

I'm longing for the day that they are referred to a DCA as at least then the monthly interest charges will stop - currently running higher than the CCCS payment too.

MDW

rog2

MummyHol wrote: »

Someone has reccomended that i speak to debt plan- i've done a search on the forums but can't seem to find any real info on them. Are they non-profit debt counselling help? They aren't listed on here
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/debt-help-plan#help
(debt Counselling- where to got one-on-one help)

I have googled 'debt plan' and it would certainly seem that they are a fee charging company, and would appear to 'specialise' in IVA's.

The words 'barge-pole', 'ten foot' and 'don't touch them with' spring to mind.

MummyHol

rog2 wrote: »

The words 'barge-pole', 'ten foot' and 'don't touch them with' spring to mind.

Thanks for the advice rog2. The alarm bells did start to ring when i noticed they didn't have a mention on this site- i thought if they were what they say they are Martin Lewis would be singing their praises!!

---

Having problems getting a basic cash card account at the moment because i don't know where my photo ID has got to- i know its packed in 1 of these hundreds of unmarked boxes round here!! I think this has finally given me the kick up the backside i needed to become more organised!!

MummyHol

MadDogWoman- congrats on the new(ish) baby!!
How did you find the return to work? I'm dreading it (thats if they agree to taking me back part-time, it seems a bit unlikely at the mo)

HSBC are soooo rude- hounding people over the phone. Every week i get a call asking if i want their bank account plus- despite the fact that i've just told them i can't afford to pay back my debts!! How many times do i have to say no to these people??

MidlandsMum

When I was claiming back my bank charges last year I called two weeks after I'd sent them the LBA and spoke to a nice man in the indian call centre who didnt understand a word of what I was on about regarding my claim and the fact the amount I was claiming back was almost exactly the amount our overdraft was for and happily offered me a loan to consolidate my overdraft! I laughed down the phone at him. He still didnt get it. Ah well, serves them right, their decision not to respond in my timeframe cost them £500 in interest on my claim through the courts.
We have about 4 bank accounts, an isa, a loan and a credit card each with them and nothing is going to give me greater pleasure than walking into the branch with my husband as soon as we are debt free and closing each and every one of the accounts down and taking my business straight across the road to the Cooperative bank.

MummyHol

I've just been speaking to HSBC again. I went in there on tuesday to cancel my direct debits for my credit card and loan so that i can just make £1 token payments and they can't try to take money that isn't in the account. I was told in branch to just use the ''statement'' machine to cancel them so i did & when i was done i wanted to request giro thingys to be sent out so that i can make the payment by cash in person but there were all of a sudden no free staff and then my son started yelling his hungry little head off so i just left, thinking to myself i'll do it over the phone later.

Well, i just called them & requested the giros and the guy didn't really understand that i'd used a machine to cancel them- he kept saying ''the staff have given you the wrong information'' and stuff like that. Then he put me on hold for an eternity of (so loud you can't hear what it is) 'music' and when he came back to the phone he tells me that the credit card is fine- i can use the giro sent with last months statement but the loan payment is a problem.

Apparently the terms of my loan are that i have to pay it directly from a bank account (and they're quite strict that it has to be a HSBC account although they do make exceptions) so i have to re-set up the direct debit which i obviously don't want to do because i'm not in controll of the payments then.

He was treating me like i was a bit stupid- when i said i wanted a giro he said i should pay it over the phone, so i re-explained i want to pay it by cash and he says really slowly ''can't you pay the cash into a bank account'', i was getting annoyed by this point so i just said no & he didn't push it!

I don't really know what i'm going to do now! I need to be able to make token payments while i try to sort this out but they've taken that option away so now its just going to look like i'm completely refusing to pay. We've only got enough money left for februarys food, (since we've paid all februarys bills) so if they take that i don't know what i'll do!
Does anyone know what i can do in this situation??

MummyHol

Juts spoken to CCCS again! I decided to get some information about going bankrupt and i was told not to even bother making token payments in this case. Juts need to find £485 now!! CCCS adviced against taking the cash off my credit card (i kinda knew they would but it was worth a try, lol).

I think this is definately the best option for me as i don't have spare money each month to set up a DMP.

I've got a meeting on weds with my regional manager & a HR rep to talk about going back to work part-time! Doesn't look very likely at the mo. Fingers crossed, eh?

Hope everyone reading this is having a good week?

Keeping_Positive

Sorry if BR looks like your only option, HSBC really are the pits :mad: . It will work out for you in the end at least you never succumbed to the dreaded managed loan! That would have just extended things.

Keep doing what you are for budgeting etc and head over to the BR board they will be able to go through the process for you if that is what needs to happen. Alot have said it was a relief in the end.

Good luck.