HSBC Bank USA, Review

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by otnased, Nov. 14, 2012

I have not had a very good experience with this branch.

I asked the manager to stop a check made payable to AMEX because I had a dispute with the company over a charge I could not identify. He had me complete a form which he put through in such a way that HSBC refused to pay ALL the AMEX checks not just the one I questioned. As a result, AMEX cancelled my card because it was receiving a lot of returned items from HSBC. The manager took weeks to sort out this issue. As a result of this instance I still cannot reopen my account with AMEX and HSBC has hurt my credit score

The bank refused to allow me to maintain a company account with it because it considered my business to be "inappropriate". Mind you this is the same bank that has accounts of international terrorists, drug dealers, money launderers and dictators, and it is telling me that my account is inappropriate!  


* this reviewer has be with this bank for >10 years
* this reviewer had 3 - 5 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Mamaroneck Branch at Mamaroneck, NY
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Rye NY Customer
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by ugly, Nov. 12, 2012

Extremely p00r service, up to a one half hour wait to see the one teller on duty.  Complaints to the Assistant Manager were blown off.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Rye Branch at Rye, NY
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They cash postdated checks and charge you for insufficient funds.
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by RippedOff, Sep. 10, 2012

This bank cashed a postdated check for over $10,000 and then charged me a sequence of fees for insufficient funds because I hadn't yet put the money in the checking account for that check.  When I went in to rectify this, they refused to refund me the fees and said that it is the fault of the bank which accepted the check. They obviously don't care about their clients. I plan to switch my bank and never use HSBC again.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 1 - 3 years
* this reviewer had 3 - 5 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Riverdale Branch at Bronx, NY
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Terrible service, ignorant and rude staff
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by docsdoc, Jul. 31, 2012

I asked them to close my inactive account and they went ahead and closed my active business account.  For two days now, I cannot reach anyone.  No body seems to care or want to help!  I remember when they came to my office to pitch their bank and I fell for it.  What a big mistake!

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Mamaroneck Branch at Mamaroneck, NY
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Terrible service, ignorant and rude staff
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by docsdoc, Jul. 31, 2012

I asked them to close my inactive account and they went ahead and closed my active business account.  For two days now, I cannot reach anyone.  No body seems to care or want to help!  I remember when they came to my office to pitch their bank and I fell for it.  What a big mistake!

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Mamaroneck Branch at Mamaroneck, NY
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THE WORSE THE WORSE THE WORSE
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by sandra4ever, Apr. 05, 2012

MY TAXES HAVE NOT BEEN PAID, BUT MY MORTGAGE COMPANY KEEPS CHARGING ME FOR THEM, I HAVE CALLED RELENTLESSLY AND KEEP GETTING THE PHILLIPINES THAT DONT HAVE A CLUE AS TO HOW OUR TAXES ARE DONE HERE IN THE STATES. I HAVE BEEN GOING THRU THIS FOR 3 MONTHS, EVERYTIME I ASK TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE IN STATES I GET HUNG UP ON, I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO, I AM STUCK PAYING ABOUT 400 EXTRA PER MONTH FOR TAXES THAT HAVENT BEEN PAID.   I NEED HELP AND NO WHERE TO GO.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Mettawa Branch at Lake Forest, IL
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Awful, awful service
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by Bucky, Feb. 27, 2012

Wow. I've been to some bad banks, but this is certainly the worst. Seems like the NEVER have more than one line open no matter how busy there are... and it's always the 'business' lane so you have to wait while someone counts out 80 rolls of quarters for some pizza shop owner. All the while they make you stand there like a moron; no one will make eye contact or give you a cursory "We'll be right with you." And their ATMs seems to be down a lot FORCING you to use a teller.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this reviewer had 3 - 5 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Syracuse University Branch at Syracuse, NY
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HSBC worst bank ever
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by marina, Feb. 27, 2012

i opened an account with HSBC at the lynbrook,ny branch, the banker spelled my name wrong on all the papers while he had my drivers license in his hand, he ripped up those papers when i pointed it out to him and proceeded to rewrite it spelling my name wrong again in a different way, still holding on to my license. after 20 mins of finally correcting it, my debit card came with a completely wrong spelling again.. i am dealing with imbeciles . tried after several calls to get a new card finally did get through and received the new card with a misspelled name again. IT IS UNBELIEVABLE THAT WE WOULD INTRUST OUR MONEY TO THESE MORONS!!!

* this reviewer has be with this bank for <6 months
* this reviewer had 3 - 5 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Hewlett Branch at Hewlett, NY
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HSBC US - Horrible
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by grumpyoldman, Jan. 21, 2012

I am a Brit.  I have banked in the UK for 35+ years with a number of banks, including FirstDirect, HSBC's excellent on-line service.  

I was relocated to California (it could be worse !) by my employer, and as part of my package, I was given access to HSBC Premier in the UK and US.  Essentially, given the nature of retail banking, this is the ONLY bank able to offer a presence in two locations without the high "wire" charges that normal US banks seem to impose.

So, I moved the HSBC UK, and all seemed fine.  Same features as my existing bank except being that it used to be Midland bank, it is weighed down with a massive and mostly redundant branch network in the UK so their current (checking) account interest rates are not the best (I was getting about 2.3% with Smile, and less than 1% with HSBC UK).

Moving my bank to the US was like going back 25 years in retail banking.  Now, I don't have a choice - I have to stay with HSBC US, as no other banks offer the transfers and multiple currencies that I need, but I sure wish that I could.

WHAT an experience.  First, people in the US are still using CHEQUES !  Yet, trying to pay those in is a nightmare - ATM networks CHARGE to take money out if it's not the home bank; there are few or no HSBC ATMs in useful places; the on-line service (even Premier) can only do a very limited number of things and EVERYTHING else has to be done IN A BRANCH !!!!!!   Oh My G**   What year are we in ????

So, I tried to set up a very common transaction - an electronic transfer to my landlord.  Initially I was told that this wasn't possible in the US, and I should use a 19th Century mechanism that uses vast amounts of petroleum and wood - a cheque in the post....   No thanks, I said; I want an electronic system like every other country has.   Oh yes, say HSBC, there is one called ACH, but due to FBI requirements (YES !!!) we don't tell everyone about it.  More like because they can't be bothered to set it up.

Now, I searched and searched on-line to set up an ACH and eventually I find that you can ONLY do this IN THE BRANCH with witnesses.  So, off I go to set this up.  

The Branch did not have a clue.  They got it all wrong and ended up taking my account overdrawn as they debited the amount twice.

On my account on-line, I don't see ANY details of the ACH - the only way to find out simple things like which bank it is going to is to go into the branch and have them phone the ACH department who only seem to work between coffee breaks, Eastern time, every third Thursday if it's not raining.  THIS IS A 24 HOUR BANK !!!!

But, eventually, they got it right, and for 10 months all was good.  Until my landlord changed his account details....

So, I went in to cancel the ACH (I hate wasting petrol to drive 5 miles each way to a bank branch to do something that could be done on-line).  They messed this up big time.

The result - 3 days after Christmas, with me in the UK, I get a phone call - you are seriously overdrawn.  They had debited the amount on the wrong date FOUR TIMES and couldn't work out what had gone wrong.

You'll have to come into the branch - I CAN'T - I'M IN ENGLAND !!!!  The day I got back, I went in to an empty branch (at least, of customers - plenty of staff earning vast banking salaries...) and saw the manager who made many, many phone calls.  Sir, it's sorted.

So, imagine my surprise when the amount goes out the next month on the wrong date and again takes my account overdrawn.  Again, Premier phone service is useless, and yet more of my time and petrol is wasted sitting in a bricks-and-mortar office, whilst they phone their contacts in NJ to sort it out.  Even the branch has no access to half of the systems.

Remember - I don't have a choice of banks.

So, what are the issues ?

1) The online service is hopeless.  Half the information is missing, half the data out-of-date.  Nothing updates in real-time.
2) The phone service is no better - it just relies on the on-line service.
3) The bank branches need to be closed, and the vast amount of money wasted on bank staff and buildings used to build a decent on-line, 24/7 service.
4) There needs to be a nationwide ATM network of all banks for deposits and withdrawals.
5) Customers should be encouraged to go-green and use electronic payment methods, not cheques by making electronic transfers FREE and cheques EXPENSIVE.  This is the norm in most other Western 1st world countries (UK, France, Germany) - surely the US could do a little better ?

HSBC Retail banking is stuck in about 1940 and frankly, it's been a big shock.  I had telephone banking in 1985, on-line with free dial-up very soon after, and I cannot remember the last time in the UK I went into a bank branch (our home branch on our joint account is in a town we last visited in 1992 !).   I have a cheque book I last used 10 years ago.   If someone does give me a cheque, I can take it to the local post-office branch to pay it in, ans the Post Office in the UK offers deposits for all UK banks (for free) and withdrawals by Debit card for about 50% (again, for free). And I get paid for keeping my account in credit.

(And I would rate UK retail banking about 10 years behind Germany.)

HSBC are the very model of all that is wrong in retail banking.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 6 months - 1 year
* this reviewer had 6 - 10 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Milpitas Branch at Milpitas, CA
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HSBC has only 1 staff on a Friday afternoon
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by Agatha, Oct. 14, 2011

The whole branch has only 1 staff and it is 1:30 pm Friday afternoon! The only staff told me the others have gone to lunch (Wow.. what a long lunch) Basically, all my forms and questions have to wait till other staffs come back, and I will be contacted by phone or email regarding my questions and application.. I have never seen a bank so understaffs!

* this reviewer has be with this bank for <6 months
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Fremont Boulevard Branch at Fremont, CA
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absolutely horrible!!
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by cpericak, Aug. 09, 2011

This bank is terrible. I never had problems until I left for Europe for 4 months. "The world's local bank" is completely ridiculous! Every time I used my atm/debit card at an atm to withdraw money, they froze me account. I ordered euros from my local branch, and the never put a notification on my account saying I'd be out of the country. The multiple times I contacted them to unfreeze my account, they failed to tell me that they were closing my savings account due to too many withdrawals a month (apparently transferring money from my savings to my checking account online through hsbc is considered as a withdrawal). I was informed that they had sent letters to my home address that I was no longer at because I was abroad, instead of simply emailing me through their bank email system. And now I deposited a paycheck into my own account using a deposit slip from my checkbook to a teller (an actual person), yet the money is no where to be found. I have contacted customer service twice and their response was to call back the next business day during business hours so they could contact my local branch. I will be contacting the branch itself tomorrow demanding this money be in my account as of the end of the business day, as well as that employee to be reprimanded for not doing her job, and then I will be filing a complaint with the attorney general's office.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Abbott Road Plaza Branch at Buffalo, NY
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ATROCIOUS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!
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by buddygurl, Aug. 08, 2011

While there are several outstanding tellers at this branch, the manager Katy, is absolutely worthless. She is extraordinarily intrusive into personal matters, and unwilling to assist when there is a need. I have found though that this branch of HSBC is not the only one to have this type of customer service. The entire bank is a nightmare to deal with. Any other bank completes ACH transfers between banks with 2-3 days. HSBC can take up to 10 days. Even when I moved money from one HSBC acct to another HSBC acct, it took 7 days to appear. Im still waiting for the money from a closed savings account to find its way to my checking acct. No one will help. No one can figure out why its not there. No one cares to find out. How can money disappear WITHIN HSBC???? STAY AWAY!

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 1 - 3 years
* this reviewer had >10 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Woodbridge Branch at Woodbridge, NJ
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a few exceptional tellers
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by madonna037, Jul. 08, 2011

aside from a few normal people the staff seems to be on another planet.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this reviewer had 6 - 10 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Kings Highway And Macdonald Branch at Brooklyn, NY
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Very Poor Service
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by DandR, Jun. 07, 2011

After several mistakes and rude and incompetent service, we will be making the move away from HSBC bank. Cynthia & Anthony at the branch do no phone back when they say they will, they don't take any ownership over resolving issues in a timely manner. very Very frustrated at the lack of customer service and would not recommend them at all.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 1 - 3 years
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Journal Square Branch at Jersey City, NJ
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Beware the HSBC curse.
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by chrisshaw, May. 05, 2011

HSCB would be my vote for the worst bank for the following reasons:
1. Two mistakes in three months.
    A. I lost my checks, they closed the account and order new checks from the closed account. My other bank put my account on hold until I explained the closed account check.
    B. I also lost my debit card. They ordered a new one and cancelled it before it reached me. That means 4 weeks without a debit card. My regular bank in KANSAS even has an expedited service.

2. The correction of these mistakes (which has not been resolved) has taken hours and therefore hundreds of dollars in my time. From
    A. driving down to the branch two times (45 minute trips)
    B. Calling into the branch to talk explain the issue to three people,
           i. have them not refund the returned check fee from another bank ($19)
           ii. Didn't refund my monthly fee ($18)
           iii. Would refund the check fee ($22) but only if I didn't close the account while I was in the bank that day. I would have to wait supposedly one day for the $22 to be refunded, then call back in. I wouldn't risk this nor waste more time so I closed the a total calling into the out-sourced.
     C. Calling into their system.
           i. Clearly they don't want to talk to me or I wouldn't be hung up on by pressing 0 repeatedly.
           ii. I don't know my call in pin so I have to put in my SS# so they don't hang up on me, then repeat the process of not knowing my call in pin 4-5 times before I have the option to talk to an operator.
           iii. The operator then has to have everything explained to them in order to tell me they can't give me the direct number to the branch, nor the manager (both of which the manager gave me)
           iv. the operator gets an attitude when I explain that other operators said that they could email the branch manager when they say they could not.
          v. being put on hold for extended periods of time.
          vi. the indians I talked to don't seem to understand that I am trying to correct a mistake their bank made, instead blaming me for not giving them all the options for how they can put me in touch with someone.

My word of advice about HSBC: ENJOY!

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 6 months - 1 year
* this reviewer had 3 - 5 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, San Diego at San Diego, CA
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Highly Disappointed
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by hta1, May. 03, 2011

I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS BRANCH.

The employees at this branch in my experience are incompetent, unhelpful and rude. I recently moved to America and opened and account through HSBC at the 120 Broadway branch. My account was then closed due to a system error. The staff at 120 Broadway could not open another account for me so I had to (off my own back) go to another HSBC branch. The new branch was able to do this within a day.
It took the 120 Broadway branch over a month to restore the money from the closed account (that I did not have access to) to my new account. They never returned phone calls, and when I did get hold of the right person they would promise that it would be resolved by the end of the day, then the end of the week... a month later the problems were finally solved. This is a long time to go without access to your money!

I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS BRANCH.


* this reviewer has be with this bank for <6 months
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, 120 Broadway Branch at New York, NY
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Poor Customer Service
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by landr70255, Mar. 30, 2011

I have been banking with HSBC for years now and I must say that in the last 3-4 years I have become completely dissatisfied with their service(s).  I can't tell you how many times when I've made inquiries about account information or needed some service from them, I received the run around.  One person tells you one thing and to go to the next person, who then tells you something different and sends you to see someone else.

I needed some paperwork signed off by a manager and it was an urgent matter.  Day one I went to have it signed and the individual who was to give me a signature guarantee, wouldn't even come out to speak with me and tell me what she needed.  She had the cust. srvc rep @ the front desk go back and forth asking me did I have this, did I have that.  I came back on Day Two to have the papers signed by this woman and was told "Oh she is in an all day meeting."  Why wasn't I told that the day before???  Then I asked her to call another branch and lo and behold no one there could sign off on my paperwork either...there was some all day conference they were all attended, or so I was told.

I find this type of service to be deplorable.  As soon as I research a bit and find another bank I will close out my account w/HSBC.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, 96th Street Branch at New York, NY
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awful
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by DonaldPlatten, Jan. 11, 2011

Just the worst service I've ever received and this is coming from a former bank executive.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 1 - 3 years
* this reviewer had 6 - 10 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Penn Plaza Branch at New York, NY
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Terrible Customer Service
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by JeffS, Dec. 30, 2010

At 3pm I have now made two trips to this bank to open an account.  My first trip I was informed by the customer service service that the person I needed to speak with was on lunch and to come back in an hour.  My second trip has now ended with me leaving the bank after 30 minutes due to the customer service rep informing me that the manager is busy and it will be a 'long time' before someone can meet with me.  I have never found it so hard to give away my money.  This experience has ended my relationship with HSBC which is a shame that it is over poor customer service and employee scheduling at only one branch location.

* this reviewer has be with this bank for >10 years
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on HSBC Bank USA, Elmwood-Utica Branch at Buffalo, NY
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customer service and management is so so poor
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by mememe, Dec. 15, 2010

this bank is the worst how i know i used to work there im glad i left there cannot say anything good about this bank. The assistant manager needs anger management class and the tellers there dont really know there stuff no one smiles,why would you want to put your money there im very young and dont need to put up with any body crap!!! Especially management!

* this reviewer has be with this bank for 6 months - 1 year
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
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