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HSBC business banking

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melonfool
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HSBC business banking

#158751

Postby melonfool » August 11th, 2018, 1:57 pm

Hi

I've had an odd exchange with HSBC over the last couple of days. I've used them for five years and for five years I have been annoyed by their random statement dates. Not entirely random but it's something like:

Jan 5th
Jan 23rd
Feb 23rd
April 5th

It's always either 23rd or 5th, but it misses whole calendar months by scooching them into another statement. I suppose it doesn't matter but it does make my accounting a bit odd and saving them at the end of the year and labelling them is onerous.

So, I decided to message them and complain about it - expecting them to say 'it's our software and this is the reason we do it like that ___________' - but they wrote to me saying they produce them all on 5th of the month and the others have all been manually ordered on my instruction. I am 99% certain I never made this instruction - why would I? I certainly have not made it every month for five years, if I maybe once asked for an odd statement date then it would have been a one off maybe for the accountant or something. I have asked them to provide evidence that I requested this.

Does anyone else have HSBC business banking (I know others do, I mean anyone here) and, if so, what dates do your statement cover?

I have asked them to revert to producing them on the same date each month and am cross that I did not raise it with them sooner.

Also, I think I will change, their website is awful, so any suggestions for decent ones - all I care about is ease of use through the website, and reasonable charges.

Ta

Mel

PinkDalek
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Re: HSBC business banking

#158765

Postby PinkDalek » August 11th, 2018, 3:01 pm

Thanks for introducing me to a new word, as in “scooching”.

Can’t help on HSBC but it might help if you summarise their charges, in so far as they apply to you, such that others can supply their own for comparison.

With Barclays, a fairly simple website to use, one can change the statement frequency quite simply and can order one off statements etc, save all of them in pdf format and, nowadays, look back to prior statements further back in history than I recall previously.

Was your prior request for a one off statement done online or by phone? If the latter it is conceivable the individual ticked too many boxes. Although it is a possibility, as you concede, that you asked once in Jan and again in Feb or they thought you meant for two months. What happened in 2017 and is there nothing post the 5th of April this year?

Edit: I missed your mention of for 5 years, so that probably answers some of what I asked above. I also forgot to ask if you’ve checked what statement frequency settings you have for statements online at HSBC?

melonfool
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Re: HSBC business banking

#158769

Postby melonfool » August 11th, 2018, 3:13 pm

As far as I can recall, I never asked for it. I can't imagine why I would have - as you say, all statements are available as PDFs on the website, I download them at the end of each tax year to a folder for that tax year to send to the accountant.

If I did ever ask for something, they will have a record I assume. To be fair, they have not said I *did* ask, merely that the only reason it would be done this way is a customer request.

Their website is a total nightmare, but it's my only experience of a business bank account really so I haven't much to compare - I do use the Barclays one at work now and then but not enough to make a useful comparison. I'm slightly anti Barclays as I am a child of the 70's from a left wing family.....

And as far as I can remember, and checking my files this is so, it's always been like this. I've just opened one with the date of 23rd April 2014, yet they say all statements are on 5th of the month. Also, if I did ask for a different date, why would they not *all* be that date, instead of this weird jumping about thing, or it was just a one off and then reverted to 5th forever more? I can't believe that two out of every three months they are manually producing a statement for me, NOT producing the normal one, this has gone on for five years and *they* have never questioned it.

Charges appear to be £5.50pm, plus £1.30 for cheques deposited.

It does solve one issue though, another that has always bugged me (though for four years, not five) - why do they issue a separate statement for the charges? So, I get two paper letters from them every month (ish, given the odd date jumping thing), one a statement and one a 'charges summary' usually with just the one line on it. I deposit a maximum of about 4 cheques a year. I guess they maybe do this as they like that to be on a set date and since my statements are not on a set date they feel they have to do it separately, or something, The charges do also show on the statement though. It's such a waste!


Mel

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Re: HSBC business banking

#158778

Postby Slarti » August 11th, 2018, 3:51 pm

Hi Mel,

I have an HSBC business account and all of the statements, back to Sept 2016 are on the 3rd of the month, looking at the statements page on the online banking. I'm pretty sure that is the case if I dug out the physical ones.

I just had an oddity this month, in that I got the usual advance notice of charges and then on the due date they were taken and then refunded. Having all sorts of problems getting an answer off them as to why.

Slarti

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Re: HSBC business banking

#158792

Postby PinkDalek » August 11th, 2018, 5:17 pm

On an iPad so can’t quote easily etc.

For a relatively small business, we are charged something like £6pcm less 15% refund for good behaviour. That includes a small charge for paper statements. Haven’t checked but deposited cheque charges are lower than yours, as would be receipts by faster payments. Cash = bad.

Are your notification of charges the ones dated 23 or whatever, otherwise I’m confused by what you were saying. I think they probably have to send the monthly charges notifications but I agree they are a bore. I shred the paper versions once recorded but retain if there is anything out of the ordinary, in case I need to query. I very much doubt they are needed by your accountant, if that’s why you keep them (if you do).

My earlier question was have you looked online (rather than via an App) to see if you can change the statement frequency. I’ve changed a number of accounts to quarterly and six months, as I know the movements anyway from looking online, and needing hard copies the files are less bulky!

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Re: HSBC business banking

#158806

Postby Slarti » August 11th, 2018, 6:22 pm

melonfool wrote:It does solve one issue though, another that has always bugged me (though for four years, not five) - why do they issue a separate statement for the charges?


I think that they have to issue an advanced notice of any charges, rather than just take them, as banks used to.

I treat it as another purchase invoice so it shows as a creditor at the end of the month.

Slarti

melonfool
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Re: HSBC business banking

#158820

Postby melonfool » August 11th, 2018, 8:32 pm

Ah, re 'advance notice' I suppose that makes sense. No, they are not the ones dated 23rd. I've never looked at the date on them, I just file them in the bin. The statements come with the random 5th or 23rd dates on them. The charges statements are in addition, and are also on the website should I feel the need to look at them (I don't).

No, I don't keep them, I don't think they can be turned off though. So, in the bin, once a month. The charges are noted on the statements so I add them to my bank tab on the ss each month.

I don't know if I can change the statement date online, I've never looked. But since it took me about twenty minutes to find the messaging system last week I won't be looking, they can just do it as a result of my complaint.

I don't use the app at all (I assume there is one but I have never investigated, I have enough apps).

I really do very little with the business account. It maybe gets 6 payments in per year by BACS/whatever and maybe 2 cheques, 4 at most (been two so far this year, one was a tax rebate, so that's not usual) and I pay myself expenses every three months or so, and actual pay/dividends maybe three times a year. I might make a payment to the pension this tax year too. So, not that many transactions which is why I've never bothered with the app.
It's probably also why I have endured this nonsene for five years!

Hopefully they will put it right now - thank you Slarti for the information on how your statements are on regular dates, that's useful.

Mel

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Re: HSBC business banking

#158939

Postby neversay » August 12th, 2018, 12:01 pm

HSBC customer here and I too have random dates for the statements so will try to log-on.

I'm getting a bit tired of HSBC for various reasons:

- clunky web interface, apps and security
- no personal contact except for when they want to sell something
- zero interest on any balances and woeful investment options

Any former HSBC Business customers care to recommend a better business banking provider with good online services?

I also have £100k sitting around in the business account at present, where do others park short-term business
balances?

melonfool
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Re: HSBC business banking

#158943

Postby melonfool » August 12th, 2018, 12:07 pm

The web interface is abysmal, isn't it?

It was poor before they changed it but it is now incomprehensible. All those stupid little symbols which mean nothing to me - we invented words for a reason and they work well.

Funnily enough, I also left First Direct personal banking as I hated their web interface. I do still have the FD account for the reg saver, but I use it very little. Everyone who likes them says but their phone service is great. I don't want a phone service, I want a web service that works well. Best web for personal banking of the trad type is Nationwide, but by a country mile the challenger banks are doing this so much better and I love my Monzo account (if anyone wants one, let me know, I can send you a golden ticket, I get no kickback from those, just gets you through the signing in process quicker).

I've had a look around and re charges Yorkshire Bank sounds best, but no idea what their website is like. Anyone?

Interested to hear you also seem to have random statement dates, wonder what they will say to you if you bring it up?

Mel

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Re: HSBC business banking

#160615

Postby stewamax » August 19th, 2018, 4:39 pm

The web interface is abysmal, isn't it? It was poor before they changed it but it is now incomprehensible. All those stupid little symbols which mean nothing to me - we invented words for a reason and they work well.

You are being too polite. Their domestic customer interface is bizarrely bad and has all to obviously never tested it with a cross-section of real customers*. The designers themselves presumably bank with LLoyds, whose web interface has regular minor improvements - all of which to date have been improvements.

* who don't all have at least 2560 x 1440 screens or can cope with multiple scroll bars in the same window or...

melonfool
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Re: HSBC business banking

#160706

Postby melonfool » August 20th, 2018, 9:45 am

I've found the Nationwide to be the best I've used.

I have quickly and easily closed accounts by just sending a message and they've done it within two days.

Mel


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