It all started with a cheap HSBC agent standing outside our Office campus requesting to enroll for a HSBC credit card with free lifetime membership and quick document processing. Somehow I got in to a serious conversation with the gentleman and agreed to submit a copy of my primary credit card statement. During the first yr of membership, I remember to have used the allotted card for few of my normal transactions. However as I remember after an yr or so when I got the statement with an annual renewal changes debited to me, I immediately paid of the current outstanding and send a request for cancellation of the card with immediate effect. I believe this was sometime between 2008. In early all of a sudden I started receiving monthly card statement with annual renewal changes debited to me. Since I was travelling extensively during that time, I couldn’t really take out time to inquire about it and over a period of time I forgot about it as I was out of the country for a while. Once I came back in mid I came to know that my family members in my permanent address receive regular calls asking about my contact details. I got in touch with them and came to know that my case has been forwarded to some credit risk collection agent. I told them that I have closed the account long back and according to me there is no outstanding due to the bank against the above account and all outstanding reflecting against the account are pertains to the annual renewal charges and subsequent nonpayment service charges. They were asking me to provide proof of cancellation and I told them that I hold almost 20-25 cards including various promotional and loyalty membership cards and you can’t expect me to maintain document of all communication for past several years. These high pitch conversation continued for several months with various threatening calls to me and my family members and also expressing that my credit rating will go for a toss and it will have adverse impact on my credit worth and so on. Even after all this I refused to pay not because I can’t afford the outstanding due, I guess around 3-4K INR but because it was against my basic principles. Anyway finally these guys came up with a business proposition and said we will write-off outstanding if you pay a token money of Rs 500/- to settle the account. I thought life is already so busy and eventful, if by paying 500 bucks, I can gain some peace for me and my family, it’s worth it and agreed to settle the account. Finally the day came on Sept 17th when these guys send a representative to collect the cheque against an acknowledge receipt and a letter with the above reference no. The letter was written in a manner which will benefit nobody else except HSBC as if we (customer) don’t understand plain English and its implications. Anyway the consolation for me was that it says “Needless to state that hereafter the Credit Card Account relationship shall cease”. I thought this is the end of a worst relationship I had ever with any bank. However, the story didn’t end here. After almost a month or two, my parents started complaining to me that they are receiving threatening calls 5-6 times in a day from some HSBC agency asking for my contact details even though they should logically have my contact details in their record as they were directly communicating with me on my cell no during the last transactions. I don’t stay in my permanent address as my work location is different and I was helpless to see my father taking unnecessary tensions because of me who is 75 and doctor has advised him not to take any exertion. I believe that calls were coming from phone no 91 011-45541741 and after several no response on the number I finally got someone responding to my call. When I spoke to them I was surprised beyond wit that they are still showing an outstanding against the account of now even bigger amount of around 5K and asking me to pay the amount immediately or face consequences. They even confirmed that they have received the last payment of Rs. 500/- however they have no record of the mutual settlement that we executed just two months back. I really don’t know which department approached me for settlement and which is this department who is asking me to pay the balance outstanding. These goes to proof that they have extremely poor internal processes and impact of such failed processes are bear by customer like us. Anyway I don’t know if this is the end of the story or not however I have shared the reference # of the settlement letter for them to update their own record. I plan to laminate this settlement letter and keep it along with my educational certificates. You never know, we may expect the unexpected from WORST BANK in the world.
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