Mail Rage
"Libraries gave us power, then work came and made us free. But what price now for a shallow piece of dignity?"
To Whom It May Concern,
I write regarding my recent experiences with HSBC and my concerns regarding its treatment of me as a customer. I have been banking with HSBC for some ten years now, and have, for a decent portion of the time, been in debt. Given that I also have a credit card account, I expect that I have been personally responsible for making the company many thousands of pounds. So if I'm an unwilling customer in one sense, I'm certainly a good example of one. I make my payments on time the vast majority of the time, and I'm sure to communicate any issues I may have with making payments before they become a problem. In other words, you make money from me without ever having to chase me around to collect debts or remind me that payments are due.
In February of this year, I emigrated to the United States. I maintained my account in the UK largely because I couldn't afford at that time to pay it off. Unfortunately, as there is no facility online for me to make payments INTO my account, I ended up relying on relatives back home to make deposits so that I could cover those direct debits still coming out of it. Obviously this was difficult and inconvenient, and I made HSBC aware of my problems in early June via the messaging system attached to my online account (Case xxxxxxx) after multiple phonecalls were made to my mother's address despite it being explained on multiple occasions that I was no longer living permanently at that address.
By September, I had full-time work in the US and found myself in a position to resolve my financial issues. I wrote to HSBC via the same messaging system regarding the possibility of perhaps transferring my accounts to the US in order that I might pay them without massive inconvenience to myself, my extremely patient family, and even HSBC itself. In response to this enquiry (case xxxxxxx), I received a message I'd like to share with you:
Dear Mr O'Mahony
Account Transfer
Thank you for your e-message received 27 September 2006.
Unfortunately it is not possible to transfer account .
You will have to close this account and open a new account in USA.
Kind regards
Mr. X
HSBC Internet Banking Customer Support
Now, I work in customer service, and if anybody who worked beneath me ever responded to a customer in this fashion, they'd be out the door so fast their feet wouldn't touch the ground. Even if we ignore Mr. X's apparent struggles with basic English and grammar, it's clear that he hadn't so much as glanced at my account before sending this response. If he had, he might have noticed that being in debt to you means that I cannot simply close my account and open a new one. My problem is not that I wish to maintain my account with HSBC. My problem is that I wish to square my debt with you and move on.
Incredibly, my next message - in which I tried to communicate my concerns that the point had been quite thoroughly missed - earned a response from a Mr. Y in which I was warned about the dangers of being overdrawn. I would have replied to Mr. Y, but by that point I was simply too staggered by the breathtaking stupidity being shown by your Customer Services department to type. How much do you pay these people?
To cut a long story short, I have since gone to Wells Fargo here in the States to enquire about setting up a wire transfer so that I might send money to my account each month. This will add a further financial inconvenience to my already well-burdened shoulders, but I gather from HSBC's response thus far that it doesn't, as a company, care too much about such things.
For the record, I expect this missive to be met with some kind of rambling form letter about keeping up payments, but should someone that can make a difference have occasion to actually read it, here are my concerns in clear, concise English, bullet-pointed for your convenience:
1. I am making an honourable attempt to clear my debt. Your customer service department appears hell bent on stopping me from doing this. Does that strike you as at all odd?
2. When replying to a request from a customer that I am unable to fulfill, I often offer the customer an alternative solution. I am, after all, there to serve that customer. It's what I'm paid for. Funnily enough, it's what the kids who work at my local supermarket are paid for, too. I manage it, they manage it, and yet I'm writing a letter of complaint because a multinational corporation doesn't seem capable.
3. You are not The World's Local Bank. I have tried to make you my local bank and you have responded by making it very, very clear that you are five thousand miles away. On the subject, if there was a World's Local Language, it would be English. Many of your customer service representatives don't appear to understand that particular language. Perhaps you should change your name to The World's Extremely Distant And Virtually Incomprehensible Bank.
4. I have never, as a customer, felt so insulted, mocked, and ignored as I have in my dealings with HSBC over the past three months. I still want to clear my debt with you, if only so I can go and bank with an institution that can find its way to within touching distance of common courtesy. If you could see your way clear to letting me know what my options are regarding this matter, I would be so grateful I'd probably cry. Surely it benefits all concerned to get this matter resolved as soon as possible. One more time, and just to be sure, I'll put it in caps: I KNOW THERE IS A DEBT. I WANT TO PAY THE DEBT. I NEED YOU TO FACILITATE THE NECESSARY TRANSACTIONS. THAT IS ALL.
Thanks. Again.
Michael O'Mahony
To Whom It May Concern,
I write regarding my recent experiences with HSBC and my concerns regarding its treatment of me as a customer. I have been banking with HSBC for some ten years now, and have, for a decent portion of the time, been in debt. Given that I also have a credit card account, I expect that I have been personally responsible for making the company many thousands of pounds. So if I'm an unwilling customer in one sense, I'm certainly a good example of one. I make my payments on time the vast majority of the time, and I'm sure to communicate any issues I may have with making payments before they become a problem. In other words, you make money from me without ever having to chase me around to collect debts or remind me that payments are due.
In February of this year, I emigrated to the United States. I maintained my account in the UK largely because I couldn't afford at that time to pay it off. Unfortunately, as there is no facility online for me to make payments INTO my account, I ended up relying on relatives back home to make deposits so that I could cover those direct debits still coming out of it. Obviously this was difficult and inconvenient, and I made HSBC aware of my problems in early June via the messaging system attached to my online account (Case xxxxxxx) after multiple phonecalls were made to my mother's address despite it being explained on multiple occasions that I was no longer living permanently at that address.
By September, I had full-time work in the US and found myself in a position to resolve my financial issues. I wrote to HSBC via the same messaging system regarding the possibility of perhaps transferring my accounts to the US in order that I might pay them without massive inconvenience to myself, my extremely patient family, and even HSBC itself. In response to this enquiry (case xxxxxxx), I received a message I'd like to share with you:
Dear Mr O'Mahony
Account Transfer
Thank you for your e-message received 27 September 2006.
Unfortunately it is not possible to transfer account .
You will have to close this account and open a new account in USA.
Kind regards
Mr. X
HSBC Internet Banking Customer Support
Now, I work in customer service, and if anybody who worked beneath me ever responded to a customer in this fashion, they'd be out the door so fast their feet wouldn't touch the ground. Even if we ignore Mr. X's apparent struggles with basic English and grammar, it's clear that he hadn't so much as glanced at my account before sending this response. If he had, he might have noticed that being in debt to you means that I cannot simply close my account and open a new one. My problem is not that I wish to maintain my account with HSBC. My problem is that I wish to square my debt with you and move on.
Incredibly, my next message - in which I tried to communicate my concerns that the point had been quite thoroughly missed - earned a response from a Mr. Y in which I was warned about the dangers of being overdrawn. I would have replied to Mr. Y, but by that point I was simply too staggered by the breathtaking stupidity being shown by your Customer Services department to type. How much do you pay these people?
To cut a long story short, I have since gone to Wells Fargo here in the States to enquire about setting up a wire transfer so that I might send money to my account each month. This will add a further financial inconvenience to my already well-burdened shoulders, but I gather from HSBC's response thus far that it doesn't, as a company, care too much about such things.
For the record, I expect this missive to be met with some kind of rambling form letter about keeping up payments, but should someone that can make a difference have occasion to actually read it, here are my concerns in clear, concise English, bullet-pointed for your convenience:
1. I am making an honourable attempt to clear my debt. Your customer service department appears hell bent on stopping me from doing this. Does that strike you as at all odd?
2. When replying to a request from a customer that I am unable to fulfill, I often offer the customer an alternative solution. I am, after all, there to serve that customer. It's what I'm paid for. Funnily enough, it's what the kids who work at my local supermarket are paid for, too. I manage it, they manage it, and yet I'm writing a letter of complaint because a multinational corporation doesn't seem capable.
3. You are not The World's Local Bank. I have tried to make you my local bank and you have responded by making it very, very clear that you are five thousand miles away. On the subject, if there was a World's Local Language, it would be English. Many of your customer service representatives don't appear to understand that particular language. Perhaps you should change your name to The World's Extremely Distant And Virtually Incomprehensible Bank.
4. I have never, as a customer, felt so insulted, mocked, and ignored as I have in my dealings with HSBC over the past three months. I still want to clear my debt with you, if only so I can go and bank with an institution that can find its way to within touching distance of common courtesy. If you could see your way clear to letting me know what my options are regarding this matter, I would be so grateful I'd probably cry. Surely it benefits all concerned to get this matter resolved as soon as possible. One more time, and just to be sure, I'll put it in caps: I KNOW THERE IS A DEBT. I WANT TO PAY THE DEBT. I NEED YOU TO FACILITATE THE NECESSARY TRANSACTIONS. THAT IS ALL.
Thanks. Again.
Michael O'Mahony
posted by Michael at 5:30 PM
5 Comments:
I'll bet dollars for donuts you get another incomprehensible form letter back, this time from Mr. XY²
nah, It'll be "Thank you for your letter. As per your request, here's some documentation regarding re-mortgaging your summer house..."
Please be advised that we would consider looking into this matter as immediately as possible within constraints of the current international fiduciary treaties and the sort whereby deliverables are in discretionary funds based upon the relevant currency.
Thanks for your inquiry.
Mr. XYz
I like your attitude. Gosh, isn't it crazy - it's like these people don't even want our business anymore. They're too good to be nice, or helpful, or even neutral to customers anymore.
Oh 'tis true. HSBC have turned into a pile of wank and far from local. I used insinuate that people who moaned about overseas call centres were 'right wing cunts', but I have now found that there moans are somewhat founded. There does seem to be a strange lack of understanding between us and these overseas customer service people. They are polite, speak English quite clearly and call you madam or sir. However, they are like robots; robots who have been programmed to give particular once sentence answers and who fail to understand any circumstances that are slightly unusual. And more frustratingly, if you get angry with them, if you demand a better service, they still keep responding in exactly the same one sentence answers in exactly the same (mono)tone. Amazing that it's even the same by e-mail....
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