Ben has been mega jewed.

[flammableBen]

HSBC seems to have decided to shut down my bank account and hand it to a debt collection agency for some reason.

The nice lady on the phone at Metropolitan Collection Services Limited was very nice and said that they probably shut down my account due to inactivity and it was unlikely that they'd open it again for me but they could try.

To be fair I was £40 over my overdraft (£1,540.75) and hadn't put any money in since I came off job seekers back around October time, but it does still seem a little extreme. If this is the case I'll be pretty pissed off, as I don't remember being informed that my account was about to be closed. It's a big possibility that I'll find an unopened letter with the information though, so there might be a hidden lesson about opening your post in all this.

Anyhoo, I'm thinking I'm pretty fucked. Any advice before I go down town and kick up a fuss in HSBC?

[Sippo]

Drink yourself to a slur with White lightning (as its cheap)....

[flammableBen]

Drink yourself to a slur with White lightning (as its cheap)....

I've got about £2.70ish left. I think I might spend it on fags.

[STFCBird]

Oh dear Benjamin

[jayohaitchenn]

get a job you bum.

[Simon Pieman]

HSBC are total cunts. I didn't put any money into my account for 3 weeks and was something crazy like £3 over my o/d limit. They kept getting the indian call centre people to ring me up.

Call centre person: "Can you transfer some funds into the account now?"

Pieman: "No, I get paid tomorrow."

Call centre person: "And how much will that be?"

Pieman: "Dunno, probably around a £1000, but depends on tax" (at this point considers asking mr call centre person how much he gets paid, but decides better of it).

Call centre person: "And will you have any other payments going to your account?"

Pieman: "Yeah there's a cheque I'm waiting on, will be about £50. Isn't £1000 enough?"

Call centre person: "And do you have any payments coming out of your account?"

Pieman: "Isn't a grand coming in enough? That'll be every month. Oh and the first one comes in tomorrow. Is all this fuss necessary?"

Call centra person: "We're going to freeze your account until you make the payments into your account you have promised."

Pieman: "Ok, it's not like the ATM would let me withdraw any more anyway. Bye."

I get a similar call the next month, a couple of days before getting paid. I wasn't over my limit that time though. Oh and the bastards rang my mobile anout 5 times at work, then my home phone about 10 times until I answered.

[flammableBen]

I've calmed down a bit now. Think I'll just go down, ask reason etc. Point out that 3 months (last withdrawal was 8th oct, last payment in 2nd Oct) isn't that long, that I'm only £40 over my overdraft limit and £21.26 of that is interest to them.

If that doesn't work I'm going to play the "Well screw you guys, I'm calling Watchdog" card.

Anyway had a shower, a few cups of tea and a big poo (rather liquidy actually, my stomach didn't feel to good last night ). Ready to go play my case.

Wish me luck everybody and thanks for the advice John and Fan, Think Fan's advice was better. You're story's a goodun as well si pie.

[genf_stfc]

separate matter, but I just had some prick saying he was from orange phone me up 'about my bill'

orange - can i take you through security ?
me - no
orange - why not
me - i have no idea who you are
orange - i'm from orange
me - says 'with held number' on my phone, you could be anyone.  whats it about ?
orange - i can't tell you
me - then this call isn't really going anywhere is it ?
orange - look, I really am from orange, whats your mother's maiden name ?
me - no
orange - OK SIR, how about you phone 150 they'll tell you i'm from orange

a day later i did, but since he wouldn't tell me what its about i didn't know what one of their poxy menu options to take so I gave up. If it was about my bill its probably going to cost me anyway. This chap must be the only person orange actually employ that you can speak to

[Dazzza]

Don't ever use Orange, ever.  If you're not careful they'll shaft your credit rating like a Lubbock at a pool party.

Thankfully I'm offshore nowadays so when I call up your Englisshhhhh pig dog call centres they bow and scrape to my every whim.  It's quite sickening the difference in treatment I’ve now got from Natwest compared to when I had a UK based account.

I’d definitely go in and see them Ben and make an appointment to see someone rather than harang the chimps at the counter.  State quite clearly you have never received any letters and have a look at Experian to make sure you haven’t got the credit rating of a fishmonger.

[flammableBen]

I’d definitely go in and see them Ben and make an appointment to see someone rather than harang the chimps at the counter.  State quite clearly you have never received any letters and have a look at Experian to make sure you haven’t got the credit rating of a fishmonger.

Just discovered the helpfulness of counter chimps for myself, conversation went like this:

Davina (Checked her name badge): Hi, Can I help you.

Ben: Hello, I'd like to know why you've closed my bank account and handed it over to a debt collection agency.

Ben holds out letter

Davina grabs letter

Davina (pointing at letter): You owe us this money.

Ben: Yes but I had an overdraft limit of £1,500, Look I'm only £40 over.

Davina: But you owe us £1,540.75.

Ben: I understand that, is there a reason why you've decided to cancel my overdraft and decide you want it all back now, Is it because I'm £40 over my overdraft and haven't used the account for a few months.

Davina: We sent you a letter.

Ben: Yes, did it give a reason, I don't think I got the letter.

Davina: I'll try and check but it might lock me out now the account is closed.

Davina spends 5 minutes typing stuff and clicking buttons on the computer

Davina: We sent you a letter at the start of January.

Ben: Yes but apparently I haven't read that letter, does it give a reason for why you've decided to close my account? Is it because I've gone over my overdraft one too many times?

Davina: You've gone over your overdraft lot's of times.

Ben: Yes I know that, but in the past I've always gone back within my overdraft as soon as possible. Is there a reason why you've closed it this time?

Davina: We sent you a letter, have you moved house?

Ben: Nope, see I managed to get this letter today.

Davina: I don't mean in the last 3 weeks, have you moved house recently.

Ben: Not for 2 or 3 years.

Davina: See we sent you a letter back in August.

Ben: Yes but I've been back down into my overdraft and put money in my account since then.

Davina: [Lists dates they've sent me letters for the last 10 months], We sent you letters.

Davina looks away making it quite clear that the conversation is over.
Ben goes home spending his last change on 10 cigarettes on the way.

Interestingly, I noticed that whilst all the manager types have their full names on their badges, Davina and her front desk friend seemed to have only their first names. Guess it's complaint avoidance disguised as a "We're friendly you can talk to use" policy.

Thing is though I'm not certain I haven't received any letters, they are probably in a pile going mouldy somewhere.

[STFC Village]

Did you not have a house at Exeter uni Ben?

[mattboyslim]

Thing is FB they don't need to know this, tell them you never got the letters and ask them to prove you did.  Personally I get on very well with HSBC the lady I know from my branmch actually phoned me last week to explain a couple of changes to me, including my overdraft limit?  I have fallen out with them in the past when they cancelled my debit card because they were in the process of sending me a chip and pin one, only they forgot to tell em they were cancelling my card leaving me a little high and dry for a few days.

[flammableBen]

Did you not have a house at Exeter uni Ben?

Yeah, but I left my address to home because it was easier than changing it every year. Just picked up letters and bank statements when I went home or got my mum to post them to me.

[Dazzza]

Those counter monkeys are shocking, they can do the basics like open accounts but don't have the know how to actually take action with anything like your problem Ben.

It maybe pissing in the wind but could be worth one last effort and write to the manager and CC the bank's national customer service centre and complain bitterly how badly you've been treated by the bank and Davina.

If they've got a decent services department they tend to bend over backwards to avoid a dealing with a complaint case.

[flammableBen]

Those counter monkeys are shocking, they can do the basics like open accounts but don't have the know how to actually take action with anything like your problem Ben.

It maybe pissing in the wind but could be worth one last effort and write to the manager and CC the bank's national customer service centre and complain bitterly how badly you've been treated by the bank and Davina.

If they've got a decent services department they tend to bend over backwards to avoid a dealing with a complaint case.

Think you're probably right about the pissing in the wind part Dazzza, but I might as well send a letter if just to give them a bit of a fuss.  I guess that keeping the wording to valid complaint (which I think I've got to a point) instead of falling in to bitter I'm skint rant is the trick. I don't think that my reasonably poor record of staying within my overdraft (even if it's just regularly pushing over by £20-£30) will count in my favour.

In the mean time I better ring the debt company again. When I talked to them earlier and basically said I was skint and wasn't earning much money they seemed quite happy for me to pay back £40 a month for the time being. I said that I'd ring them back after I'd gone down to talk to the bank.

I suppose I've got a few other problems now. I no longer have a bank account for a start, any recommendations? I've got a feeling that they won't offer me an overdraft.