This morning the HSBC transferred my funds to my new Revolut bank account and this nightmare period is finally over. I am not sure what the final compensation amount was, but lets just say the transferred amount was more than expected. This should never have happened in the first place and at least they have corrected their mistake. The positives are that it was a forced savings for 5 weeks as we had no access to the funds.
I had received another call earlier in the week from the call center stating they have no records of my details and if I could please provide them with a full name and bank account number along with the branch code. It is like I do not exist and have been erased from their records.
The phoning in did not help as I could not even verify myself due to the normal log in procedure where you provide your banking details not reflecting. The contacting the CEO when I did worked again and if anyone is having problems with any company I suggest this is the route you have to take. The lady I dealt with and became my contact from the Exec Complaints Department was very good and nothing like the service being offered by the general call center. The job they do cannot be easy as these are all escalated irate problem customers desperate for help.
After contacting the CEO this process has taken 3 weeks from start to finish which is not taking into account the two weeks prior having contacted the call center. This was a 5 week battle and I am more relieved than anything else now to finally have the funds back under my control. The cheque that was posted on the 10th has never been received and I guess it will never arrive.
The other crazy thing is they posted my bank history secret password so I can print off my last 12 months and do not expect to see that arrive either. Thankfully I printed off the last 6 months before flying to Dubai as this was a requirement for opening a new bank account in Dubai so at least I have that with me.
The frustrating part about all of this is the way the entire process was handled and you can understand why customers always feel let down. I should never have to tell a call center to not interfere as they would confuse the matter even more. This I had to do this on two occasions and by the second phone call the person understood I was being serious.
Next up is a quick visit to the UK to visit my sick mother which most likely i will be flying either Sunday or Monday which will test out the Revolut Bank account. Dubai is looking more likely in the New year to open an offshore bank account which is still important to have and is part of my crypto off ramp strategy. I still like the idea of having a contact person with a bricks and mortar branch in case you need assistance. Revolut is great for now, but it will have it's limitations not that I need a mortgage ,a loan or credit card. Dubai offers all the normal banking facilities and more and resembles what I remember a bank being 30 years ago. They still offer the personal contact and when it involves handling your money this is important.