I haven't written on my blog for a while as I have been busy. Currently in the US on a business trip. But this couldn't wait. Hail HSBC Philippines for yet another lousy customer service experience.
So here's the story. As I'm currently on a business trip I have no access to my credit card bill. Simple problem right? I could check it online. But no. HSBC's online banking site will not allow me to register. It gives me some error message saying that I am not allowed to use this type of registration method. If you're not familiar with it, it will give you two choices, one is via pin and the other via cellphone. Since I never received a PIN I have to use the via cellphone method. Error. Not allowed.
So here I am, unable to check my credit card bill with an unknown amount due with an unknown due date. I hate late payments...so this is very stressing to me as I consider myself a very responsible person. The actual paper bill is at the office in Manila. That is actually a guess since I'm not there. Anyways, so I sent them a nice email, stating my problem that I am unable to set up my online account so that I can check my credit card bill online.
I get a reply saying something like we'd be glad to help blah blah blah. But we can't verify your status via email due to security reasons blah blah blah. Please send us your international contact number and we'll get in touch with you. So I write them another nice email saying how much I appreciate the security measures blah blah blah. I give them my roaming cell number and my personal office number while I'm abroad.
This is where it goes downhill. 1 week later. No phone call. No reply email. So I send them another email asking for my phone call. Days later. No email. No phone call. So I send them another email asking for my phone call. Days later...no email...no phone call. So I finally send them an irriated...irate customer email stating that I'd do an internet search on the VP's email address and email him directly...days later...no email...no phone call. So, me, being the very calm person that I am, try to call the HSBC customer service number even though I would have to spend my own money to contact them.
After trying to navigate their lousy and not user friendly robot system, which by the way hangs up on you if it doesn't understand your commands. I get this "Sorry, our office hours are from 8-5pm, Mon-Fri". So ok...I try calling the 24 hour service hotline....guess what? It beeps. That's all it does. Like someone left the phone off the hook. So at this point my temperature is rising a bit. How much money did I just spend calling HSBC from the US? I don't want to know. I'll probably find out when I get back.
So I let it go for a few days. Until now, no phone call, no email. So at 9pm at night, US Central time, I call HSBC Philippines again. This would mean I was calling the Philippines 10AM. Yet again spending my own money to contact them. After wading through the robot system I finally figure out how to get a customer service rep....by mistake. I key in my credit number..."sorry, we don't recognize your card, enter it again"...so I enter it again..."sorry, we don't recognize your card, enter again"...so I enter it again....same error message. But then, the voice says "if you are a gold card member, please press 1" so I figure I'd push it. So I press 1. I may or may not have a gold card but wouldn't you press it anyways at this point? Right?
A few seconds and this customer service rep answers. Usual hello spiel. So I relate my issue, I finally get to find out my due date and how much I owe. So far so good. Good thing I called because my bill is due in like 6 days. As for the reason I can't register online? Sorry sir, nothing indicates that there is an issue with your account. Didn't you receive your pin? No I didn't receive my pin. Can't you do something about this online registration thing? Sir, can you give me the error number? Huh? I didn't notice an error number. But I just gave you the exact sentence of the error message. Isn't that enough to figure it out? Sorry sir, I need to have an error number. Letche! So I let it go for now, since I got the info I needed. I figured I'd call again when I'm back in Manila and I'll take note of that error message.
So everything is fine and dandy. I no longer think about HSBC and how lousy their service is. UNTIL, low and behold, I received an email today. Do you know what they said? Basically, this is what they said "we noticed that you already called. So no need to call you. Hope your issue has been resolved. Have a nice day."
Pu*** *na mo!
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