Absolutely disgraceful customer service, followed by an even worse experience with HSBC's Commercial Complaints Team. Rude, arrogant, dismissive and completely unwilling to listen. My original... Absolutely disgraceful customer service, followed by an even worse experience with HSBC's Commercial Complaints Team. Rude, arrogant, dismissive and completely unwilling to listen. My original complaint was about a telephone call to HSBC Business Banking during which I was subjected to approximately 30 minutes of verification and questioning, only for the agent to hang up on me. When I called back, another HSBC representative acknowledged that the questioning and process I had been put through were unnecessary. The representative accepted that there had been an issue, offered me £50 in recognition of the poor experience, and raised a formal complaint. At that point, I thought HSBC had acknowledged the problem and was taking steps to resolve it. How wrong I was. Today, I received a call from Shalini Jolly, a Commercial Complaints Handler at HSBC. She began by informing me that she had listened to the original call and that HSBC had followed the correct process. According to her, the bank had done absolutely nothing wrong. Naturally, I questioned this, particularly as another HSBC colleague had already acknowledged problems with how my call had been handled and offered £50. When I asked why I had been subjected to unnecessary questions and verification, she told me that this had nothing to do with my complaint. ARE YOU SERIOUS? My entire complaint was about how my telephone call had been handled and the verification process I had been put through! How can a complaints handler claim that the very issue being complained about has nothing to do with the complaint? Rather than providing a reasonable explanation, I found her attitude extremely arrogant, rude and dismissive. Zero listening skills. Zero willingness to engage. Zero professionalism. The conversation was completely one-sided. In my experience, she repeatedly raised her voice, talked over me, refused to answer my questions and appeared determined to impose her own conclusion without allowing me to explain my concerns. When I continued asking reasonable questions, she threatened to terminate the call. She then told me that if I was unhappy, I could take the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. But what happened next was even more astonishing. I asked to speak to her manager. She refused. I asked her to raise a formal complaint about her own behaviour and the way she was handling the conversation. She refused. And then she hung up on me. Let that sink in. A person employed by HSBC to investigate customer complaints has now become the subject of a complaint herself — yet, in my experience, refused even to register it. The irony would almost be laughable if the conduct were not so concerning. I contacted HSBC expecting a professional investigation, fair treatment and an explanation of what had gone wrong. Instead, I encountered someone who, in my opinion, had already made up her mind, was unwilling to discuss the evidence and treated my questions as an inconvenience. It is particularly concerning that one HSBC colleague acknowledged problems with the process and offered compensation, while the person supposedly investigating the complaint dismissed the matter entirely. Which version of HSBC's standards are customers supposed to believe? I do not expect HSBC to agree with every complaint. However, I do expect its complaints handlers to listen, provide meaningful explanations, treat customers respectfully and allow concerns to be escalated appropriately. Listening skills: 0/5 Communication: 0/5 Professionalism: 0/5 Respect for customers: 0/5 Complaint handling: 0/5 HSBC Business Banking should seriously examine how its Commercial Complaints Team treats customers. If your complaints department cannot handle a complaint professionally, and the complaints handler becomes the complaint, something is fundamentally wrong with your customer service. One star is far too generous. Unfortunately, there is no zero-star option. Read more Read less

Helpful and efficient call centre staff resolved issue quickly