Awful Experience in HSBC

[Tony.London Suburbs]

If someone is urgently trying to by-pass the main queue by using the paying-in machine, then, most likely, they will be really peeved with any undue and unnecessary delay.

[malcol]

Complain. HSBC once cancelled the wrong card and when I went to innocently use it in Sainsbury's the checkout person called her line manager who then proceeded to cut it up in front of me and the rest of the queue behind me. I was very embarrased but just as cross as I knew there was money in the account. I complained very strongly, in writing. They checked their records about which card I had asked to originally cancel recognised their mistake and sent me a huge bunch of flowers and got me a new card sent out for the next day. Complaining works sometimes and makes you feel a lot better to do something rather than not. I think cancelling your account was a little premature as now you're not a customer and they have little motivation to look at your complaint. However, I also believe from what you have stated that the staff should have intervened. It doesn't matter whether you had finished your transaction or not if your belongins were still all over the machine then the man should have waited or politely asked you to move aside whilst he got in with his transaction.

[Moos]

lenk Wrote:

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> These people are only doing their jobs - writing

> to the chairman is pointless - there's at least 3

> layers of 'gatekeeper' behind anyone like that

> (having been one of those people before at a

> government agency most are filed under 'B' for bin

> if they look like they might be anything more than

> routine) - you're best off putting in a formal

> complaint and moving your account elsewhere if you

> want to make a point.

Can't agree with lenk. We had a terrible process of trying to set up broadband with BT, which involved over a couple of weeks many hours of phone calls with people in the customer service centre who would not listen and apparently could not help us. Eventually gave up and wrote a blistering letter to the CEO of BT, and the next day had a call from an extremely polite and efficient woman who sorted the whole thing out in 24 hours. It's definitely worth it.

[lenk]

Moos Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> lenk Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > These people are only doing their jobs -

> writing

> > to the chairman is pointless - there's at least

> 3

> > layers of 'gatekeeper' behind anyone like that

> > (having been one of those people before at a

> > government agency most are filed under 'B' for

> bin

> > if they look like they might be anything more

> than

> > routine) - you're best off putting in a formal

> > complaint and moving your account elsewhere if

> you

> > want to make a point.

>

> Can't agree with lenk. We had a terrible process

> of trying to set up broadband with BT, which

> involved over a couple of weeks many hours of

> phone calls with people in the customer service

> centre who would not listen and apparently could

> not help us. Eventually gave up and wrote a

> blistering letter to the CEO of BT, and the next

> day had a call from an extremely polite and

> efficient woman who sorted the whole thing out in

> 24 hours. It's definitely worth it.

True - corporate is probably a bit different to government.

Corporations DO check the internet for bad feeling towards them, hence why I suggested seeing if there's anywhere online you can complain / repost your original gripe - certainly go through as many channels as you can.

Though a lot of what Heugnot says rings true - I give someone around 5 seconds of dawdling in those situations before my seething misanthropy comes rushing to the surface. you were in a London branch, after all.

[AllforNun]

Great, we will take a diversion from the square mile and smash the fucking gaff to pieces. Black Bloc to the rescue ......you make plans we make history !!!!

[njc97]

I agree with Moos. Do complain and do send it directly to the chairman. Whilst it won't be read by him personally, it will be read and dealt with by someone in his office rather than being lost in the standard customer complaints process.

[vallajo]

Complain. Complain, and then complain again. Although the staff obviously didn't want to get involved - and as I wasn't there I can't comment on what happened - YOU'RE version of events, as YOU see it, is such that you should take this up with them.

Banks rely on the idea that people won't argue with them. Last year, when Abbey National sent a large sum of my money to the wrong place I complained. They admitted fault, but then tried to brush me off by telling me it'd be returned in two weeks. I had it back in less then a week, because they realised I wasn't going to go away.

Make a nuisance of yourself. Go in the branch, ask for the manager. Give it to him/her in writing. Tell them you want a reply. If you don't hear, go back. Then ask for his/her bosses name (you'd be amazed at the cooperation you get when you threaten to go over someones head!). Keep at it, all the way up. Eventually they will take you seriously.

As I say, I wasn't there, so I don't know how this will end. BUT that isn't the point. You feel they mistreated you. Frankly, if it's happening in their branch they should be smart enough to try and resolve the situation. Anyway, you owe it to yourself to know that you did everything you could. Don't ever let the big boys think that we don't matter - that's how they get away with it in the first place!

[Vik]

After having read your post very carefully, I have to agree that although this man didn't have to be quite so heavy handed, and could have perhaps said 'Excuse me I'm in a rush, do you mind if I uses the machine first.' It does indeed seem that you weren't actually using the machine but had all your belongings; cheque book, card, papers and purse resting on the machine and were using your phone, so to anyone else it may have seemed like you weren't using the machine at all, which can be extremely irritating to someone in a rush who has come into the back to find that only one till is open, and the bank is full of people!

To sum up, perhaps he should think about the way he speaks to people, and you should think about not obstructing the machine before you are actually ready to use it?

[jumpinjackflash]

Complain to their Press Office/PR dept. Tell them you're thinking of informing the SLP. In my previous experience of working for PR agencies this usually gets their arses into gear. Good luck but don't take it to heart..the guy would probably have done it to any other female. Sounds like a right arrogant tw@t.

[paulino]

people! what are you all advising the OP to complain about?

an irate customer???

[Villager]

To Spirit

Sister, I would suggest that you read Huguenot's appraisal of the situation, not just once but several times. His is a very fair assessment of the situation based on the story you have presented. And let's not forget, we only have your story.

My observations are somewhat more direct. You say "Was almost done when......". Another assessment of this is that you had not actually started the process. Your card wasn't in the machine. You hadn't even completed the paperwork.

My guess is as that when you saw that there was a queue, you went and parked yourself in front of the machine without having completed your paperwork - so denying anyone else access. To me and many others, this would be seen as an inconsiderate and selfish action. When you opted out of the queue, why didn't you do your preparations elsewhere in readiness for using the machine?

Given that the man neither shouted at you nor swore at you then it could have been a whole lot worse.

As for the staff, why get at them just because they didn't take up the position that you wanted them to do? It had nothing to do with them.

You were at fault so why not dry those tears, pick yourself up and enjoy the sunshine.

[Cassius]

Villager - slightly harsh assessment but I think I agree with your basic argument. The man in question was undoubtably discourteous, indeed downright rude, but to show a complete lack of regard for the needs of other bank users is also discourteous. It is a shame that we now live in a society where nearly everyone is in a rush rush rush, but that is how it is, and those of us who are lucky enough to have time enough to spare, need to appreciate that others don't.

On many a rant thread it is people who don't get their purses/credit cards out until actually asked for payment, or those who don't even start searching for their travel cards until they are actually blocking an entrance/exit that get extremely short shrift. I would think that this is of a similar ilk.

[Reg Smeeton]

According to the OP, the man was "literally" on top of you and "literally" pushed you out of the way. I suspect both of these statements are literally false.

[Moos]

Can I suggest very politely that the posters now rushing to tell Spirit that she was in the wrong now back off and call a halt to proceedings? Give her a chance to respond.

[Weegee]

I think this mans behaviour was totally unjustifiable and unacceptable. We cant allow people to behave like

this whatever the reason in what is supposed to be a civilized society.

I agree with Mamora Man....you have to complain about matters like this...otherwise

HSBC will just carry on with the same level of shoddy customer service.

If you dont get any joy from Head Office..then consider contacting the

website MoneySavingExpert.Com. This website run by Martyn Lewis (the man

the banks love to hate).

[jason cox]

This is my wife and just to clarify, she said she moved out the way so he wouldn't thump her. Rather than address her and ask her if he could use the machine, he simply physically intimidated her out of his way so that he could get her to stop what she was doing and use the machine before her.

I also think he was little, in stature and spirit but he was bigger than her.

There was no queue for the machine and she was there for 1 minute. She had grabbed the paying in envelope from the top of the machine, had all her cheques and slips already written (had done this at home)and was simply filling the envelope with the cheques and was just about to write the total amount on the outside of the envelope. Had she used the pen on the top of the machine that is put there precisely for this purpose, the man wouldn't have been able to encroach on her, but she used her own pen. Ironically, when the man came upon her she was adding up and would have been done in seconds but she lost focus because he actually started doing his paperwork on the machine right on top of her, which is really odd. It threw her because it was meant to, she thought he might be mad, might be trying to rob her, she was completely freaked out by his inappropriate closeness. She looked about for someone else to notice it was odd and ask him to step back from her while she was carrying out a financial trasaction but noone did, which is also odd given it's such a small bank and there were 2 staff on the customer floor. She was just about to place the envelope in the slot but he was freaking her out too much for her to do it, she couldn't gather herself enough to focus. He finished his paperwork and pushed her hand from the slot and inserted his card.

She said that the man manipulated her nervousness, had he left her alone she could have been out of his way in seconds, but his intrusion stalled her and it was meant to. He never once asked her if he could use the machine. He just assumed he had right of way over her.

i actually think if someone is leaning on the machine to write out slips that's okay, they have to do it at some point and there are slips, an envelope and a pen put there to enable people to do that but that wasn't what she was doing. I also think if you want to jump in you should ask first not just plant yourself on top of someone and physically menace them out of the way. A bank is a senstive area, people are handling their money, he was an arsehole.

He also took over the machine while she had her purse, her phone her keys and her cheque guarantee card on it... she was concerned that he might be attempting to rob her. He messed about with her and it was nasty.

I was more shocked that the bank staff didn't just sit her down after the event. They could have taken her envelope and led her to a desk to pay her money in.. she has no recollection of what she actually did with the money after that although she does have her receipt so must have put the money in, she was obviously freaked out. At no point did they think they should help her or calm her down. This happened on their premises but they took no responsibility.

The staff member who thought it was okay to make a joke about it afterwards was so off the mark. I think she would be frightened to go in there again as she doesn't feel it's a safe place to handle her money. Maybe they do need security instead of those ridiculius doors and staff who are just there to sell you a financial product.

She'll be fine but she won't go in that bank again and thank you for the address to complain to.

[jumpinjackflash]

paulino Wrote:

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> people! what are you all advising the OP to

> complain about?

>

> an irate customer???

no the attitude of the staff

[louisiana]

Huguenot has some good points.

But I also find that the HSBC staff in that branch can leave something to be desired. I've had a company account based there for years, but they have recently been starting to treat me really strangely (almost like a criminal) when I want to take out my own money. I feel there are some staff there who've had a common sense bypass with added social graces extraction. And then the people on their phone service come over all cloyingly nice three times a week to try to persuade me not to transfer out all my dosh elsewhere, a consequence of their frankly ludicrous interest rates for business accounts; I believe their Business Money Manager currently offers 0.01% or thereabouts.

(And anyone who has any interesting and sustainable possible homes for business dosh, away from these giants, do let me know.)

[jimmy two times]

I think it's all a bit of a storm in a tea cup really. I've just heard on the radio about the guy who punched a man and killed him in a dispute about pushing in. At least this one didn't end in violence.

[jason cox]

Im also really disappointed that so many of you assume she was the nuisance. Huguenot, are you sure this man wasn't you? It ocurred to me that he could actually be on here. The man knew he was in the wrong, he ran away after he'd freaked her out (the coward). The staff should have made them both stand back from the machine when she signalled her initial upset. They could have taken the heat out of the moment but they washed their hands of it. There was no queue, just him and her. Thankfully he didn't physcially harm her but from the sound of things, it was only because she got out of his way in time.

If he is on here, she knows what you look like and will remember you if she sees you again.

[lenk]

This sounds more like a dispute with a member of the public that happened to take place in an HSBC.

London is full of rude people, it's a city.

I hate to say it but I would have probably completely exploded if someone had dawdled in front of me at a cash machine. I regularly sneer at people buying lottery tickets in newsagents for holding me up.

[Moos]

Jason, I can understand that you're upset on your wife's behalf, but just so that you know, Huguenot lives in Singapore.

Thanks for coming on to give more details.

[Huguenot]

Jason, yes it's very likely to be me ;-) *irony*

I sympathise with her experience, I'm sorry that anyone's made any assumptions, certainly not me. I took a perspective on her written account, she described the following items:

* a hellishly busy bank

* an extended attendance at the machine facilities while she did her accounts

* that she unpacked her handbag at the machine

* that she wrote her slips with the pen at the machine for an 'number' of cheques

* using her phone as a calculator at the machine (which takes time just to start, let alone pesky decimal points!)

* the fact that she didn't actually have her card in the machine at any point.

I assume it's the same description she shared with you?

As I said, none of these are grounds for the man's overbearing demeanour, but it seems that that the first party wasn't entirely coming across as an angel.

I can see that you disagree that the bank was busy, or that she used her phone, or that she wrote her slips at the machine. You also say he didn't physically harm her, which seems to conflict with her description of a thumping earlier.

Your view may well be right, it simply doesn't seem to be what your wife wrote.

As you can see, I felt the man's behaviour to sound thoroughly unpleasant, but the rest of the account seemed to simply suggest a more complex issue than "Woman goes to bank, gets assaulted, no-one cares". I would care, I would think it's terrible, but I just can't understand what happened here at all?

Either way, I'm not sure that "she knows who you are" is going to help. Is the idea that your good lady wife points out a stranger in the street and you go and thump them? Didn't we see this somewhere before recently and it ended up in two life sentences?

I'm bemused.

[Green Goose]

Spirit,

I think I may have come across this nasty guy before and might be able to assist.

Can you give a clearer description eg

Age?

Height?

Slim, normal or heavy build?

Length and colour of hair?

Wearing spectacles or not?

Discernable accent?

Type of clothing worn?

Smelling of alcohol?

[bigbadwolf]

DNA?