HSBC Bank PLC

I've been with Midland and now HSBC since I started banking in my teens, but recently their off-shore customer service has really wound me up. There have been two particular occasions when I've had to contact them about card issues, and have had to deal with long waits to terrible hold music, and then polite but sometimes unintelligible staff on long distance phone lines. I also find that they send me a lot of promotional mail about services that they should know I'm unlikely to need, if they just looked at the accounts I already have. Any personal touch they used to have has certainly gone out the window.

Posted by Pragster at 18:36 on 03-Oct-2009

As a customer of 19 years, I had a Live Cash, Current Account,a First Direct on line account and finally an HSBC loan. Current account has been closed as I was charged in total £3,000 in bank charges over two years alone - and am legally challenging this. My First Direct account was hacked into within two weeks of having the account - £500 stolen and spent on mobile phone credits 300 miles from where I lived - and I have just discovered that my loan for £21K plus Insurance has been sold to me illegally and the matter is now before a Barrister as I have been informed that I am entitled to reclaim my entire loan, insurance and interest.

Posted by Anonymous at 07:46 on 13-Mar-2009

as a formerly satisfied customer of 18 years I am now of the opinion that HSBC are the worst performing bunch of exploitative dishonest deceitful charlatans that one could ever have the misfortune to have dealings with. I would advise everyone to avoid this bank.

Posted by Anonymous at 15:18 on 02-Oct-2008

I have been a customer of HSBC and its predecessors for over 30 years, and a customer of their offshore operation HSBC International for 8 years. Since the establishment of their "Customer Service" centre in Kuala Lumpur, the level of service has nosedived. What is most irritating is that they send out letters puporting to come from Jersey or the Isle of Man, with illegible signatures and no printed sender name, and when you call the number as the letter requests, you get someone in KL who is completely unable to deal with the matter.

Posted by Anonymous at 05:30 on 24-Sep-2008

Reliable free banking service, local branch helpful, never any problems. I value and never abuse this free troublesome banking service.

Posted by Anonymous at 13:47 on 28-May-2008

The most helpful bank I have ever come across. Sevenoaks branch

Posted by Anonymous at 09:26 on 26-May-2008

I like HSBC. Nice branches, helpful staff. However, just went in as am moving to Hong Kong for a while with work. Needed to open up a HK dollar account to run alongside British account. They told me they could do it but would charge me 100 quid for the pleasure. And if I did it when I reached Hong Kong it would cost nothing. "The world's local bank." - do me a favour!

Posted by Anonymous at 04:17 on 23-Apr-2008

I've been a customer 11 years and on a more frequent basis, I'm now experiencing the issues of the call centre in India. Whilst the branches in the UK give exemplary advice, I've had three instances of the Credit card department giving me false information over the phone, resulting in my credit card being cancelled whilst I was abroad with work. When compared to other banks (local & global) I've experienced(Cahoot, Nordea, Nedbank, ABN Amro) in the past five years, they're easily the worst. 40 minute phone calls, inaccurate information, swapping between teams and call handlers laughing when you ask them questions leads to an inferior service. Suggest HSBC really take a look at their processes and start from a customer-viewpoint and following a simple Customer service rule for India; if you don't know the answer, simply say "I don't know, let me find out for you" instead of giving the wrong information. 18 day turnaround of credit card applications, losing cards in the post...all sub-standard services from a global company. Won't be getting my mortgage and looking to transfer my account shortly! Good luck to Cahoot and Abbey who seem to have got the service proposition correct!

Posted by Anonymous at 10:53 on 11-Feb-2008

Yet again, HSBC has let me down. Losing documents, not returning calls and being highly incompetent generally regarding any communication. I have had enough and am moving to the Royal Bank who; a) Have call centres in Britain, b) Can understant me and c) Don't tell as many lies.

Posted by Anonymous at 10:03 on 23-Jan-2008

This bank has lost photcopies of my personal details on 2 occasions, I am not permitted to speak to the people who send me the letters, I need to talk with someone in a call centre in a foreign land instead who can't understand my accent, I have been promised a call back on 6 occasions and various other 'let-downs' have occurred on my path to happiness at HSBC, Wimbledon. I am beginning to think it's all some big joke set up by my friends. Whatever you do, DON'T bank with HSBC, even if they pay you.

Posted by Anonymous at 12:39 on 21-Nov-2007