HSBC Current Account Review

“I was with HSBC for about 6 years and in that time I...”

Written on: 17/06/2008 by DeeDeeBel (3 reviews written)

Good Points
Good website.

Bad Points
Terrible customer service, exreme charges, poor attitude from some of the call centre staff.

General Comments
I was with HSBC for about 6 years and in that time I was charged over £1000 in fees- usually because the fees added each month pushed my overdraft further into the red, causing more fees. Despite repeated attempts to sort out a payment plan with them, asking them to freeze charges so I could actually get the situation sorted I was met with a blank wall.
They are very quick to offer loans, even phoning me up to ask me to take out a personal loan when I first had my overdraft. I would not have applied for a loan but felt pushed into it.
The staff at the call centre are generally very unhelpful, even when you try to sort out problems it seems they have a 'script' and stick to it, regardless of the issues you try to raise.
I left when I was in a position to clear my loan and overdraft, and have found a bank with a UK call centre and pleasant staff, who do NOT encourage you to get further into debt - something HSBC are a nightmare for.
Their charges are steep - I was charged £50 for going £12 over my overdraft, then when interest was added I was charged another £50 - all in the space of 4 weeks! When explaining that it was their charges that were pushing me into debt I got nowhere. A phone call to notify you that you have gone over your limit, giving you the opportunity to deal with it in a timely fashion would have gone a long way to help!
The bank I am with now are much more pro-active in notifying me of any slip-ups I have made so I don't end up in dire straits.