HSBC computer error is ruining my life. Why you shouldn’t bank with them.

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I’m desperate for any advice on this it’s been a massive stress and I just can’t see the end of it.

In May I got a notification saying my credit card had been added to an Apple wallet. Because it wasn’t me I cancelled the card then I called HSBC who said there was no fraud it was a computer glitch. Nevermind I think. I noticed the credit card didn’t come back onto my HSBC banking app and I called a couple of times and they didn’t seem to understand my issue on the phone and thought the card was lost in post but I don’t think it was ever generated. I figured it would sort itself out when the automated didecf debit was due or id sort it out after my holiday.

On holiday I suddenly get a notification saying my credit card is overdue. I panic and transfer £50 to stop the notification and then I call hsbc intending to pay off the whole balance. I’ve actually no idea how much it is but I’ve got plenty in my account to cover it. Person on the phone was clueless. Tried to setup a payment to pay of the minimum balance of a different credit card. Eventually tells me that I don’t owe anything on the late credit card , in fact , they owe me money due to a refund I got on something after I’d paid the balance off.

So long story short, I have spent hours and hours on the phone to hsbc, have logged an official complaint and have spoken with them over email and it’s not sorted. They keep saying I don’t owe any money, I don’t think I do but if I’m wrong I’ll pay it , but something in the system has been generated which says I do, but I can’t pay it because it doesn’t exist.

Both my hsbc credit cards are now closed, and the day after they did so I get a new banking notification saying I owe £1,576 and have two credit card missed payments. I have checked Experian and yes, it shows I’ve missed credit card payment with HSBC and it’s damaged my credit rating. Meanwhile the last
email contact at hsbc is saying I don’t owe anymore money and to ignore any correspondence saying I do. He isn’t listening to me when I say something in his computer system clearly says I do. He even said he’d put a note on my file to make sure nothing affected my credit rating.

I have written to the ombudsman but that’ll take months, is there anything else I can do? I am worried hsbc will just tell ombudsman it’s sorted and closed and I don’t owe anything meanwhile this bill keeps growing.

We are trying to buy a house. We were in the process
of it when this started. That house fell through but we can’t find a new house/get a mortgage whilst I’ve got this on my credit record!

I also have a job where I need security/financial clearance and this is causing me so much stress.

I I’m desperate to escalate this but don’t know how.

Didnt want to read and run. It sounds awful. I sympathise as I’ve had my own issue with HSBC before and they refused to accept they were in the wrong though I suggest might be better to also post this in the legal folder for sensible advice?

Personally I would write it all out in a letter and attach copies of your credit card statements. Spell out to them what you think has happened with it and explain how it’s disadvantaged you. Then send it to them recorded delivery. Then chase if you don’t hear anything back in a week.

Ask them to send a notice of correction to all credit reference agencies to remove the missed payment mark.

Thank you I will do. I’ve been with hsbc 30 years but I’m leaving after this.

Could you contact one of the consumer affairs people in the papers. They often take up these complex cases and get to the bottom of things.

My dad suggested this and I initially dismissed it as it seemed really old fashioned but I am getting more desperate ! Which one were you thinking of?

Finance Ombudsman?

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

You could maybe start with these. Felicity Hannah's always been good on women's financial issues, but I don't know how active she is these days. You can always look in the papers and/or ring up their reception desks! Only approach one journalist at a time.

https://www.notified.com/blog/5-key-uk-journalists-covering-consumer-affairs

There's also the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

Why have you started three threads on this?! With different clickbaity titles?

This is what I was going to suggest the mail

Or the times etc

[email protected]

Interestingly, I also wrote to her about an issue with HSBC.

Holly Thomas in The Times is very good - [email protected]

Was suggested to me on thread 1 to repost on 2nd board and in case it’s not blatantly obvious I’m pretty desperate to seek as many ideas as possible so i thought the 3rd board was also a good one to post on. First title was me next two were AI suggestions. Don’t worry you can hide alll 3 :)

I’ve gone to them already. They’ve estimated 12 weeks to respond.

You and Yours or Moneybox on radio 4.

Have you been into a high street branch? I would make an appointment to see the manager of your nearest branch. Communications will be much easier face to face than with a call centre. They should know how to help.

This is also going to sound quite old-fashioned - but have you actually been into a branch to talk to someone right in front of you? That has previously worked for me better than call centers.

The second thing that works is somehow getting through to something like a fraud department - you basically have to get past the 1st line of customer service response to people who actually know what they're doing and are allowed to think for themselves rather than follow a script - which can be tough

Don't leave HSBC as having a long term bank account helps your credit rating.

Do you know which credit reference company your mortgage application is using? There are several and different brokers use different ones so maybe best to write to them all but also get HSBC to write.

Have you made a formal complaint to hsbc?

You need to do that before speaking to the ombudsman.

Personally I would do it via email so you can include all your evidence such as your credit report details

I did early June . I booked an appt for the closet thing and initially they told me they couldn’t help because credit cards are run by a separate company who only do phone contact and tried to make me leave. I insisted and spent 3 hours in that branch. 2 hours of which was on the phone because all the branch could do was check my credit card statement for me. They said they’d “call with me” but then didn’t speak. Tbf most of my two hour call with hsbc was being put on hold. It was the branch that told me to raise a formal complaint and said it’ll be looked at properly so I did that. 15 days later I spoke with someone from complaints team who seemed sympathetic but he still hasn’t fixed my issue and is now insisting I don’t owe anything and that there’s no late payments on my file despite there being a late payment on my credit report now.

honestly don’t ever have a credit card with HSBC. If something goes wrong you are at mercy of foreign call centres who don’t understand past their scripts. Branch can’t /wont help.

It takes a few weeks for the credit reports to be updated from the HSBC systems as well - it's not immediate

I have mid June. They seemed good at first and I thought it sounded positive but this is their last response:

“Good Afternoon
There is definitely no late payment or payment due as the cards were at 0 balance and have closed. I would delete any correspondence suggesting otherwise and from my side will raise a memo to reiterate no payments have been missed to ensure no negative or incorrect information is added to your credit file.
”

Which sounds reassuring but doesn’t match the warning on my banking app or the Experian report. I’m just having back and forth now with them it’s definitely fixed and me saying no it’s not!

Thanks for that I didn’t know that about long term bank.

We haven’t got as far as that yet, our first mortgage was hsbc but that offer will expire soon and I’ve not wanted to offer on another house until this is sorted but I will check when time comes and ensure I dispute any markers.

I’ve been into a branch. Apparently credit cards are a separate company and no one in branch has access to to relevant systems.

Was going to say this.

No matter how monolithic and obstructive the organisation, they magically seem to become cosy and personable and oh-so-concerned about resolving the customer’s issue as soon as their PR department is contacted by researchers for these shows.