Aug 28, 2004 06:46 PM
2885 Views
(Updated Aug 28, 2004 06:46 PM)
Well what can I say...horrible experience. Here's why:
Opened my account on August 13th 2004.... went there with my husband (big mistake) as the bank agent (a woman employee) refused to make eye contact with me and instead of talking to me about my bank account explained everything to my husband and handed him all my details. I watched all this for a while and then told her that since I was the one opening the bank account she should direct all her explanations to me...but it seems she had little respect for the intellect of a woman. Her attitude was very derogatory of women.
My husband was told (as I of course was still playing the role of a numbskull in capable of understanding banking procedures?.) that some one would be sent for an address verification and that I will get my credit card in about a week's time.
Today's the August 28th and still the bank's credit card department has received no application under my name for a credit card. Of course, the address verification has also not taken place. Why? Because HSBC employees are not accustomed to doing their jobs on time until the customers raise a hue and cry.
HSBC...can't handle bank wires...terrible exp there as well!
I filled up a wire transfer application on August 25th and had to pay 0.3% of the total amount plus pay Rs. 200 for the same. It?s the 28th August and the money is still in my account and the bank's helpdesk has no information on the wire. OK so what's the difference b/w a bank wire and the other means of sending money abroad? I was under the impression it was a 48 hours affair and that is why the service fee of 0.3% + Rs 200...but certainly not the definition understood by HSBC. I feel cheated!
And now the helpdesk...don't be fooled, its more of a ?how may we further confuse your life??
The so called 24 hour helpdesk facility is more of a pain in the neck as all they have been trained to say are ''I'm sorry for this please call tomorrow?. Call up the next day and you will have to go through the entire history of your problem with a new agent only to be told ''I'm sorry for this please call tomorrow''. The end result, you have to go to the bank personally to sort out every little problem because there is no way to contact a particular bank or speak to your banking agent personally via telephone as all the calls are directed to a call center in Mumbai, and those agents there, have no information about anything! So now I have wasted all this time only to be told please go to the bank directly on Monday to sort this problem.... that?s just Peachy..aint it!!!
And one last thing
Didn?t expect to see the ''house wife option on their form (after all they are an international bank aren?t they?)...which personally to me is pretty offensive. Why not replace it with an unemployed category. I have just come from abroad and am reviewing my options, so the agent says ''may I put you down as 'housewife'...duh!...excuse me..like WHY??? If a married man is sitting at home do you have an option for him called 'house-husband'? Geeze!...I have been to several countries including the Middle East which is know to be orthodox, but never come across that term...also where is the ''MS'' option while filling up their forms online...?? Let's be fair, if men's marital status is not revealed to the world thru their prefixes, why should a woman's.... In the end all I have to say to HSBC is : GET WITH IT!
In conclusion I would like to say:
HSBC has poor service, no follow-up, never do a wire thru this bank, and the call center is helpdesk in name only...the clients are left on their own to make sure the HSBC employees are doing their job, which obviously they aren?t.
Final resort:
Well, going on Monday and closing this account...who needs this extra stress.
