I am having a bad experience with HSBC. I left the country for two months on an emergency trip, due to my mother’s hospitalisation. I communicated the same to HSBC. I was on vacation in January and February 2016 and was unable to make two instalments consecutively. When I returned at the end of February, the bank called and asked me to pay my pending dues.
I explained the situation to the bank and asked for a certain amount of time. I agreed that I would pay. From March, the instalments were paid and finally, I cleared my dues for the pending months in June and August. A collections team sent me a confirmation of my payments.
However, I could not completely cover my mother’s medical bills and approached HSBC for a top-up loan. My request was declined and it came to my attention that I had defaulted in Al Etihad Credit Bureau report. Again, I tried to explain from the beginning. The bank said they would look into it and try to help, yet from July to November – almost five months – there was no further action from the bank to remove my name as a defaulter.
The bank sent my issue to the complaints department and from there, to customer service. From there, it went to a branch office. Yet, I was not able to meet anybody unless I called the bank and asked for an update. Finally, I wrote about my issue on Facebook, and from there, a manager took up the case and said I would get feedback within 24 hours. The following day, I called the manager, but received no response. I saw an email response, that said she was on vacation. I waited for a month for the manager to come back. She replied that she had forwarded the case to the concerned team.
A manager from the complaints team said I would need to get an updated credit report for August because it would show that the default had been cleared. I was astonished, because the report that I sent was an updated report for August.
Then, she realised this, and said she would ask the concerned team to update me. She vanished.
I requested that this matter be resolved as an emergency, because I needed to pay for my mother’s recovery. Another team leader and manager continuously called and took down the details of my issue. They said they would call in two working days, yet I have received no call.
Finally, I got frustrated and travelled from Fujairah to Dubai to take my current credit report. I then went to the complaints team’s head office. In the head office, the security personnel said I couldn’t get in without an appointment. On my way back, I saw another HSBC bank in Dubai and explained my situation to a representative. I even showed them all conversations from my email. The agent said if I wanted to register a complaint, it would take two working days. So far no one has looked into my case and no solution has been found.
I request Gulf News to help me assist my mother with her medical issues at the earliest.
From Mr Parthiban Victor Abishegam
Fujairah
The management of HSBC responds:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
This is to confirm that we have taken this forward with Mr Abishegam and have addressed his concerns directly.
Thank you once again for bringing this matter to our attention.
Mr Abishegam responds:
I am still communicating with HSBC to get the issue resolved. I thank Gulf News for their efforts regarding my concerns.
Editor’s note: The management of HSBC stand by their initial response and have nothing further to add.
(Process initiation: November 11, 2016. Response from organisation: November 21, 2016. Process completion: December 28, 2016.)
Editor’s note: Do you have similar issues that you would like to raise with us? You can write to us at readers@gulfnews.com.
