Sending a Complaint by Mail. Does This Sound Professional?

[Binoo]

I'm sending a letter to HSBC. I really need them to resolve my problem and I'm trying to send them something that sounds professional and mature but also lets them know how aggravated I am. I know this is a really long letter but if you could read it over and give me any suggestions or if you think it's sufficient to send let me know. I just italicized all my personal info for privacy. Thanks

 

MY ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFO HERE

 

 

President & Chief Executive Officer

HSBC

#300-885 West Georgia Street

Vancouver, BC, V6C 3E9

 

May 1, 2010

 

 

Dear Customer Service Manager,

 

I am contacting you regarding several recent issues I’ve been having with HSBC and HSBC Mastercard.

 

I am disappointed because the service I have been provided was unsatisfactory. These problems started about two months ago. I had tried to make a payment to PC Financial Mastercard. I was told by one of the clerks at my location branch that I would only be able to make my payments online. The first payment of $400.00 did not go through to PC Financial. However, the second payment of $200.00 did reach them. I received a phone call from MJR Services stating that I would receive an amazing deal on my future credit card payments because of my outstanding credit history. This deal included my monthly fees cut in half plus interest free for one full year. This would save me well over $800.00. All I needed to do to qualify was make a payment of $15.00 which I did immediately. I recorded the reference number and ensured that the money had been taken from my account and the transaction had been completed. When I called back two weeks later to confirm my new monthly payment I was told I would no longer qualify for this new payment plan because my $15.00 payment was never received. I spoke with an HSBC representative who first stated that HSBC lost my payment then accused me of having the wrong account number for my Mastercard [ which is impossible because I’ve had payments received by them in the past ie. The $200.00 payment I made ]. The representative then voluntarily admitted again that HSBC carelessly lost my $15.00 payment. Besides the moral injustice, I’ve also lost out on an amazing deal. I can’t afford to pay anymore than what they offered as I lost my job several months back due to lack of funding and have since only been able to find work that offered me 9 hours per week. I have lost over $800.00 because of this. I’ve lost a monthly payment option I can afford. I’ve lost my good credit rating and now I’m receiving letters from PC Financial threatening legal action. To add insult to injury I haven’t even been reimbursed the $15.00 I was told I would get back from HSBC.

 

Aside from my PC Financial Mastercard account, I also have internet banking with HSBC set up to withdraw automatically $41.98 per month for my gym pass with my gym. I made sure I had deposited over $60.00 in cash to my account so my gym membership would have absolutely no problems clearing. The payment went through only to be returned to my account. When I tried to withdraw the money to pay my gym membership in person, I was unable to withdraw the money. I waited for over two weeks. Now, I not only have to pay the $41.98 and have lost two weeks at the gym [ half my monthly payment ] because I couldn’t withdraw the money to pay the company, I also need to pay an extra service charge ontop of this.

 

My paychecks come biweekly. On the Friday of payday I checked my HSBC account to make sure the payment got through. I saw a check from my workplace of $156.00. That day I tried to make a transaction with my debit card. It read insufficient funds. Not only is this completely inaccurate but completely embarrassing. I went to the HSBC ATM machine that day. It was a Sunday so the bank itself was closed. I wanted to withdraw my money from the account. Again, it read that I had $156.00 in the account. I tried to withdraw $150.00. It said insufficient funds. I tried to withdraw $100.00. Insufficient funds, again. I tried to withdraw $20.00 and received it successfully. I had to keep inserting and resinseting my card. I did this seven times. This totals $140.00. I found this confusing and extremely inconvienent. I have the money but I can only withdraw $20.00 at a time? That doesn’t make sense. I never had this problem in the past.

 

These ordeals left me absolutely furious with the company and I called HSBC and asked to be directed to a complaint department. The agent claimed there was no one I could speak with and I needed to e-mail my issue to online@hsbc.ca. Just as I suspected, I received no response. When I called again this morning I was again told that there was no one I could speak with.

 

Last week I called HSBC Mastercard after I noticed a total of 8 missed called from them and no messages left. I spoke with a representative who told me that my Mastercard payment was past due. I wasn’t aware of this. Despite my many efforts in the past I was never able to get HSBC Mastercard to send my monthly bill by mail or e-mail. So, I hadn’t recieved a statement in several months. I told the agent I would be able to not only make the minimum payment of $41.92 he required but the entire $511.92 outstanding by the end of the first week of May. I would be receiving my tax return at that point and wanted to use it to catch up on my bills. The agent more of less ignored me when I explained to him that I simply could not afford a minimum payment of $15.00 until the first week of May. I understand that $15.00 is not a lot of money to most but when you work only 9 hours a week and your bank loses your payments anyway it’s hardly worth the risk for me. When I told the agent that HSBC would not even allow me to take out my own hard-earned cash, he again ignored the problem and asked if there was someone I could borrow money from. This is a ridiculous question to ask. I have money I’m entitled to which I could use to pay this company but I’m not allowed to touch it for reasons which have yet to be explained to me. I will be making my full payment through RBC this week and not with HSBC as I’m afraid they’ll lose my $511.92 payment. Not an hour after I spoke with HSBC Mastercard I received another call from the same number. I ignored it.

 

This morning I was woken up 3 times by this number. They didn’t leave messages. When I called back a recording told me that the offices were not open and I would be unable to speak with anyone until Monday. I decided to call HSBC to inquire about how I could get this number to please stop calling me at 8am on a Saturday. I work nights and this is extremely inconvenient for me. In the middle of confirming my information I received an incoming call on my cellphone again from HSBC Mastercard. I picked up the phone and the agent asked when I would be making my minimum payment. This made me extremely angry as I voluntarily called this company back and told them I would be making a full payment in just 4 more days.

 

I look forward to hearing from you and to a resolution of this problem. Please contact me through e-mail: email address or by phone: phone number. I would really appreciate hearing from you and having this situation corrected.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

 

My name.

[catfeeder]

Your resolution is lost in the details. Start with a summary list of the amounts they owe you with short reason next to each, along with the dates, followed by a total.

 

Then you can provide an account of the details as backup, but keep it short and simple.

 

Fingers crossed for you.

[Binoo]

Your resolution is lost in the details. Start with a summary list of the amounts they owe you with short reason next to each, along with the dates, followed by a total.

 

Then you can provide an account of the details as backup, but keep it short and simple.

 

Fingers crossed for you.

 

 

Okay, yeah, that sounds good.

HSBC interrupted my sleep so many times this morning so I'm riding on two hours. Shouldn't write angry letters while sleep deprived...

[Crazyaboutdogs]

I agree with Catfeeder. This is way too long and detailed. The letter is written as if you are telling this story to a friend. You need to shorten it a lot and stick to the main points. Don't include personal details like job loss, your gym membership, how embarrassed you felt, that $15.00 is not much to some people but it is to you etc. I have written many complaint letters in my time so please feel free to PM me if you want someone to review a second draft.

[Anthropic]

Showing up in person at a branch will be more effective. I know that sounds crazy, I haven't actually been inside a bank in years, but if you want a problem dealt with quickly do it person to person.

 

Definitely shorten that letter. I couldn't even read it all, it was too much text.

 

Personally, I'd go to a branch and not leave until I have it resolved to my satisfaction. Just be sure to be calm, polite and respectful, it's much more effective in getting what you want than yelling. Smile lots, it throws them off. Good luck!

[iBroken]

Im not sure that HSBC has many branches that you can simply Walk into and cause a scene in. They are few and far between as they are not one of the big 5 canadian banks (rightfully so

 

Your letter is detailed and provides all the right information. As an employee of one of the big 5 banks, I think that email will get you the retribution you seek

 

Good luck

[metrogirl]

HSBC sent my bf's check back to him saying they couldn't read the amount. Then they charged him a late fee because they didn't receive his payment. They had his check, they sent it back.

 

He's been sending the same checks with the same writing for years. He showed me the check, it looks like every other check he writes.

 

I think that bank uses these shady tactics to get more money from consumers.

 

They're crooks.

[karvala]

I agree with Catfeeder. This is way too long and detailed. The letter is written as if you are telling this story to a friend. You need to shorten it a lot and stick to the main points. Don't include personal details like job loss, your gym membership, how embarrassed you felt, that $15.00 is not much to some people but it is to you etc. I have written many complaint letters in my time so please feel free to PM me if you want someone to review a second draft.

 

100% agreed.

 

At the moment it's like something you'd post on here, or an appeal to someone's good nature. Bank complaints departments are not renowned for goodwill. You need to say, as succinctly as possible in bullet points, the specific things they have done wrong (including times, dates, reference numbers). In addition, you should ideally highlight which banking codes or contracts have been broken, and specifically what you expect to see as a resolution. You're not asking them to do you a favour here, you're asking them to comply with the law, and you need to show them that you know this first.

 

I have consumer rights disputes with companies several times a year, and I invariably win. Most recently with my water company, who ended up halving my bill AND paying me for my time spent dealing with them, which I'd billed them for. How? By telling them that's what I wanted, showing them where they'd broken their contract, giving them the specific details of the action I would take next (which involved reading their complaints procedure in detail and knowing what my legal options were), and highlighting how much that would cost them, while all the time remaining calm, polite but firm.

[karvala]

HSBC sent my bf's check back to him saying they couldn't read the amount. Then they charged him a late fee because they didn't receive his payment. They had his check, they sent it back.

 

He's been sending the same checks with the same writing for years. He showed me the check, it looks like every other check he writes.

 

I think that bank uses these shady tactics to get more money from consumers.

 

They're crooks.

 

Undoubtedly. There was a report in the UK a few years ago which showed that 96% of bank mistakes were in the bank's favour; with the volume of errors, the odds of that happening by chance was equivalent to winning the lottery every week for a year. It's fraud, plain and simple, and I'm not afraid to say so.