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Original poster

To be furious with HSBC

63 replies

Tomboytown · 06/06/2018 19:08

So they decided to close my accounts.
They can't tell me why.
Despite being customer for 20 years, ex staff, high £ turnover, overdraft, but always within limit.
So I sent them a payment of £5000 to cover the overdraft and close the account, but because they put a stop on the account, the payment was rejected and is now floating around in cyber space and I am going around in circles to get it back.
My bank has tried to claim it back for me but they told them it did credit the account and given them the reference number so that's a dead end.
Aaarrrgghhhh!

OP posts:
Original poster
Tomboytown · 06/06/2018 19:11

5 weeks they've had this money

OP posts:
NotCitrus · 06/06/2018 19:14

I'm furious with them too. They haven't actioned a simple request in over a month, I've spent ages on hold (nearly an hour, multiple times), and my formal complaint has yielded various 'we're looking into it' email responses...

Icantreachthepretzels · 06/06/2018 19:14

Banks are awful. Santander is my arch nemesis Flowers

Grimtimes · 06/06/2018 19:15

Ombudsmen should look into it

lastnamefirstfirstnamelast · 06/06/2018 19:18

They sound awful, i hope you get it sorted soon and i agree with the ombudsmen advice. I had very hellish times with RBS and Natwest.

Since been with Nationwide and they have been absolutely brilliant. (Touch wood)

LanguidLobster · 06/06/2018 19:19

Close the account? Weird. What a nightmare. I've found HSBC to be the most ruthless bank (in my experience only).

They debited a payment from a relative's account and it took half hour of wrangling to get it back.

Really hope you get your money back OP, that sounds awful

Gin96 · 06/06/2018 19:19

HSBC lost a cheque I paid into my daughters account, the next thing we receive a letter saying sorry for the death of your daughter and we will close the account, they sent this letter twice, we eventually sorted it out but hardly got an apology, they sent a couple of bottles of wine as compensation for our upset

SensingWeakness · 06/06/2018 19:21

Ombudsmen should look into

Nope. That's not how it works.

The FOS are there to look into complaints which the bank have not resolved to your satisfaction. They won't take any direct complaint.

Raise an official complaint with your bank. They have to respond within 8 weeks.

SensingWeakness · 06/06/2018 19:26

However...a complaint about the missing money.

There's little point in complaining about the closure if they've already said they won't say why...they're not obliged to give you a reason and the FOS won't (can't) make them.

Original poster
Tomboytown · 06/06/2018 19:28

I put in an official complaint about the account closing- their response was "we can't tell you why"
An official complaint doesn't help me get the money back. I've spent hours on hold but they will not put me through to the dept responsible for the account closure and putting the 'marker' on the account. Everything just goes through the original call handler.
I need my fob thing to complain online- I've just moved house and can't find it right now.

OP posts:
SensingWeakness · 06/06/2018 21:12

You can complain to HSBC by email - just google. Or phone them, they have to take the complaint from you.

A complaint about the fact £x has gone missing will be given to one specific person to look into and resolve - so yes it will help you get the money bank (eventually). And if the ultimate response is 'sorry, can't find it' you can escalate to the FOS, which you can't ATM.

LanguidLobster · 06/06/2018 21:14

Did you make the payment by card? Cash?

Are they chasing you for it?

SensingWeakness · 06/06/2018 21:15

The department actioning an account closure will be back office, acting on a request from elsewhere. The call centre couldn't transfer you there if they wanted to...and no one will ever tell you which individual has instructed the closure.

Lokisglowstickofdestiny · 06/06/2018 21:16

If they can't tell you why it sounds like the transaction that you did (paying in £5000) has tripped a warning in their anti-money laundering transaction monitoring software. They are probably waiting for the OK to proceed. And yes you need to go through the banks internal complaints process before going to FOS.

SensingWeakness · 06/06/2018 21:17

What have HSBC actually told you about the payment?

numptynuts · 06/06/2018 21:18

5 weeks is ridiculous! Start the complaint procedure OP.

KatyaZamolodchikova · 06/06/2018 21:20

I had a similar issue, OP, except I chose to close my account. I arranged to pay my overdraft, it disappeared for a week then reappeared, but HSBC had phoned to ask where the payment I had made was. Paid again, into a holding account as per their instruction, again phoned to ask where it was, they didn’t know and neither did I. Money returned to me again. So I went to a branch, refused to leave until it was sorted & ended up paying cash at the counter to get the thing sorted.

I was closing my account and leaving as a result of their shocking service. 🙄

Ebayaholic · 06/06/2018 21:24

Do a subject access request to see what data they hold on you, it's now free following GDPR and they only have a month to comply.

dizzy174 · 06/06/2018 21:25

I read somewhere if you mention financial ombudsman you will rattle cages, might be worth a try.

edwinbear · 06/06/2018 21:35

HSBC did exactly the same to my DSis. She went through the Ombudsman and ultimately, they are absolutely allowed to close your account, for no good reason and the FOS are powerless to force them to tell you the reasons. I worked for HSBC for 20 years, 2 of which were spent preparing their defence to FOS complaints so know this to be true.

It is completely indefensible to lose £5k of your cash however and that should be sent to the FOS after you’ve exhausted HSBC’s complaints procedure.

SensingWeakness · 06/06/2018 21:35

Do a subject access request to see what data they hold on you, it's now free following GDPR and they only have a month to comply

Are people just saying random, irrelevant banking-related things?

What good would a SAR do in this case? Hmm It won't locate missing funds.

Original poster
Tomboytown · 06/06/2018 21:39

I complained about the missing money via email, I got a response saying it was only secure if I sent it via my online banking, which I need the fob for.
I made the payment through my online banking- different bank.
The 5k didn't trip an alert, the account was closing way before then. 5k isn't a large amount for this account. The 5k was rejected because they were closing the account. There were all sorts of other small credits(lottery) child benefit, they were originally confirmed as received, but subsequently returned, nat lottery sent me chqs!
That's the thing, they've never asked me to repay anything. They told me they were closing the account, I complained, they said no. I made a payment of 5k to close the account.
I don't have a local branch anymore either.
I called them today and said the only acceptable response is "yes, we'll make a payment asap" I'm waiting for their callback.
I'll call again tomorrow

OP posts:
Original poster
Tomboytown · 06/06/2018 21:42

Strangely enough I had a similar thing withJohn lewis credit card and a £2k payment which hit my account and then they reversed, took 2 months to get that back.
I complained to the ombudsman and got £250 but no real answers about who had physically taken £2k from my account.

OP posts:
Violetroselily · 06/06/2018 21:42

So you owed them money (for the overdraft?) and they didn’t give you any direction as to how you should pay that money back?

Original poster
Tomboytown · 06/06/2018 21:44

Exactly Violet

OP posts: