Finally I am in a better place than i was this time last week and there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Last week having heard nothing, but silence with regard to my closed UK bank account and a cheque in the post for my entire balance there has been some progress.
Last Thursday I emailed the CEO of HSBC and had a response on Friday saying the complaint has been noted and has been escalated as a priority. Today I received an email that a lady will be in contact with me to discuss how this can be resolved. Earlier I received 2 phone calls from a UK number that would not connect and I phoned back immediately.
The lady who was in charge of my problems was on hand and after a quick 15 minute chat there is a way forward. The cheque in the post which is a high security risk has been cancelled. The lady agreed that this process needs to be reviewed and is unacceptable even if that is the banks current policy.
Tomorrow I need to write a quick later authorizing the transfer of funds to the new Revolut account plus I need my wife to sign this as this is a joint account. Once that is scanned and emailed then they will carry out the transfer and we are finally done with this nightmare scenario.
The lady then went on to offer compensation which I was not expecting which would be a token of the troubles they have caused and created. There will be an internal review which I have heard this story all before with the insurance company last year and have my doubts if this even happens. If this benefits someone else then great, but the cheque thing is so out dated and is such a high risk which I do hope they review and change.
The problem with both companies I have had serious issues with being AVIVA and HSBC is the call centers. AVIVA like HSBC has call centers abroad (India) and firstly just being able to understand what they are saying is a challenge and you need to adjust by deciphering what is being spoken. They have no authority to fix the problems so why are they even in place as you end up going to more senior members anyway to sort out the problem you have employed people to sort out but cannot. This to me just sounds ludicrous and is ludicrous which wastes time and money.
When you are in a service related industry surely service is a priority and how you handle your clints complaints should be at the top of the list. I felt shocked and terrible after dealing with the call center leaving me with very little confidence wondering what month or what year this might get resolved. The lady I spoke to tonight clearly knows what she is doing and a problem that has taken 15 days could be resolved within the next 2 days.
The plus side which my son raised today which made me chuckle is this is like a forced savings plan not being able to access your funds. This highlights how vulnerable the banking system is and you are reliant on others doing their jobs or having the ability to do the jobs. Having a bank account in Dubai cannot come soon enough as I like how they have still kept it personal with the ability to speak to people running the bank. They do not hide behind call centers and are easily contactable which is how banking used to be 25 years ago. Human contact gives you confidence and peace of mind knowing they can help you.