HSBC Premier Bank Account www.hsbc.co.uk

if you're planning on opening a bank account do not open an account with HSBC let alone try to open a Premier bank account. they just make everything so hard. Considering most of my savings are with them having been banking with them for 17 years, I can safely say my money hardly earned any interest. Go somewhere else - to a bank that actually cares and tries to give their customers the best service.

Only stay with them because its easy to run accounts in the UK and USA.

Dont meet up with your RM, they are mostly disinterested.

My wife and I have been with HSBC for many years. A couple months ago we went in to talk about opening up a US account as we were planning to move from the UK. We were told this was a good idea as HSBC will carry over your credit rating. The people in the branch said that we should open a premier account first since more than qualified and so that we didn't have to pay for setting up the US account. We said sure and they said they would call to set up a meeting. After a while they reached out to us and we had our meeting in the "Premier" banking section in Canary Wharf which is in a different building and done up to look like an airport lounge. The first impress was dampened by really poor drinks. In the main branch they had juice, water, and a machine that could make a half decent coffee. In the premier section the coffee machine is long over due for a cleaning and the coffee was disgusting. I know, I went to set up a bank account, not have drinks, but that was the first impression. The person who helped us setup the account was alright but couldn't answer very many of our questions and kept telling us it was on the webpage. Near then end of the meeting we asked about the US account as that was the whole purpose of this process and he said that that would have to be booked separately, but that we would have to wait to be called by someone.

A while later someone eventually called and they provided some times for when we could have a meeting. We ended up with a 9am meeting on a Friday, which we were fine with as it meant we could get done and out of the way. We showed up 15 minutes early as we left a bit early due to rush hour. 9am rolls around and the person we are meant to meet isn't there. A half hour later we are told she is in the building on another floor and will be right down. Another 30 minutes later and she is still not there and we were told she got caught up in something and would be down soon. After 15 more minutes my wife and I left. At this point I was ready to close all my account and not look back but figured that carrying over my credit rating was more important than being mad at someone for not showing up for a meeting they scheduled. I expected a phone call with an apology later that day, but I never got one. The following Monday I received a voice mail with an excuse about having an allergic reaction to something. I can have a bit of compassion, except that I have reason to doubt her excuse. There are only two people in her role at her branch. I used to work in Canary Wharf and have a lot of friends who still do, and who know her. Thursday night was a wild one for her, so my friends told me. She may of had an allergic reaction, but she was also likely really hung over too. But, whatever, I needed to get this account open. Instead of having us go back into the branch she said she would send me a form to fill out that would speed everything up. "only takes 15 minutes". It was an electronic form and every time you pressed a button or entered in some information the form would freeze for about a minute. Every so often the form would crash and I would lose everything and have to start over. Eventually, 3 hours later I have to form filled out and all I have to do is press a button to electronically sign the form. Unfortunately I apparently missed something on the form and a message said it has been highlighted in red. So I scanned through the 20 pages of the form and couldn't find the issue. I spent about 30 minutes trying things before I got too frustrated and just emailed the form back to her and told her the issue. She tried it for here self and apparently I was meant to check something, then uncheck it, then check it again as there was an issue with the form. When this is done right a few more fields show up that have to be filed in. I would of been fine with the whole checking process if there was any information stating that had to be done. Finally I filled everything in on the form and was ready for the next step.

Now this whole process started about 2 months ago. I'm moving at the end of this month. After sending in the completed form she came back to me and said that there is only 10 business days left before I move, and it usually takes at least 10 business days to open a US account and that she was going away on holidays, as such we shouldn't open an account right now. Needless to say I was pretty mad about this as we allowed more than enough time for everything to be sorted out and due to HSBC upselling their Premier account and having really poor customer service when we got to that account our primary reason for even going into the bank 2 months could not be completed. I could wait till I get to the US and try and open an account from that end, but I've had it. I have an appointment with a different bank, that was recommended to me by my company, the day after I arrive. Once I transfer my funds over using XE.com, as there is no way I'm letting HSBC make any money off my currency exchange, I'll be closing all my accounts with HSBC and not looking back. If I return to the UK, I still wont use them as apparently I had been paying for an advance account for 5 years when I qualified for a free premier account and even though I had meetings at the bank a couple times a year, no one bothered to recommend upgrading to the premier account so I didn't have to spend money on the advance account. Maybe because they knew the Premier account is a joke.

Where is the person who is supposedly intended to show me how to extend my wealth?

I have been a client of HSBC for more than 10 years. I have never missed a payment in my entire life and I have always been a good customer. I have checked my credit score online and this looks outstanding. So why am I penalised?

I understand and appreciate that HSBC is a responsible lender and in the current economic climate banks are under pressure. These being said I can never understand as to why human thinking has been completely replaced by computers. Computers are supposed to complement human brains, not take over. These days if the computer says “NO” a person is not allowed to use his brains and most sadly not allowed to think out of the box. This is completely ludicrous.

I have been in business for many years (started my business in 2002) and since day 1 this business has been going forward not backwards. The business is cash rich and I do not have an overdraft facility on neither of my business accounts. Am I being penalised for this? And yet somehow the computer says NO to my wanting to upgrade my house.

Why are people not allowed to think; to look past what the computer says; look into personal circumstances, help long existing customers?!

In 2007 I took a mortgage for my current home and since then I paid most of it leaving my mortgage with just over £54000. Is there nobody who is allowed to look and think that I nearly paid off this house in just a few years? This in addition to getting 3 shops to grow my business? In addition to buying a property in France, etc?

I want to sell my current house and buy a new house. I am willing to put £165000 deposit so I can buy a £500 000 property. This works out to 67 LTV. Where is your real risk?

Naturally every shareholder, every business man is going to look into the most tax efficient ways of administering their business. Nobody in their right mind is going to pay themselves a salary high enough to pay 40% or 50% tax when one can pay themselves dividends. Nobody is going to draw funds out of shareholders funds when just so they can pay tax on it, when the money is not needed. Not all people in this country have all their businesses in the UK. And yet, you as a bank, if you were to look into my family finances can easily see affordability; but the computer says No.

If I was allowed (which I am not) to have this mortgage my monthly would be in the region of £1400. We do not have dependants (nor intend to), we do not have expenses. Even with the min wage (which myself and my husband pay ourselves) we can cover this. What is the world makes you think we can not afford that?

Can you please PLEASE allow somebody to use their brains and look past the computer; look at the actual real affordability?

Been with HSBC for many years. The relationship manager we had until 2013 was brilliant and so we decided to use their PIMS wealth management service. This has been a disaster! Since Feb last year our investment in low risk portfolio is 1% less than what we put in. The income fund that HSBC recommended has produced income but this has been more than swallowed up by HSBC management charges. The Financial Advisers are poor and do not seem to be able to answer questions about the investment performance. It is also very difficult to track what is happening to your investment on a day by day basis. The sales pitch info they use is also misleading

Ok so they want me to join, but it's impossible to actually call a branch and arrange whilst calling the premier new customers line just results on endless promises of "someone will call you back".

I've been a HSBC Premier customer for three years now and it one of the worst. Specific complaints are the ability to have accounts in different countries. They all do not work! I had an account in Singapore, Canada and Australia. All of them had very strange local restrictions. Canada has a policy that if you do not do any transaction for a while the account is dormant. NO TRANSACTIONS FOR YOU! Australia sends you another security device and a pass that both do not work so i sent them back. No apology not a sound! NO MONEY FOR YOU. For Singapore you need to enroll to enable to get $$$ out in other countries. Which expires... not with the date on your card but just a given day in a random year. Just about when you need money in Vietnam NO MONEY FOR YOU. I have close to 400k in that bank at 0 %. Its time to move this and put it somewhere else. Oh yeah in my three years I've not seen, heard or been introduced to the relationship manager. What a farce. HSBC Premier services and products are so bad!

It has been frustrating to open account. Get passed on from one to another several checks and no result!

Arrogant and inefficient, unwilling to communicate by email or phone, even the manager was unhelpful and obstructive. Over 4 months to arrange a mortgage, which its still ongoing as they decide they want more paperwork sent in the post, which I could have sent weeks ago if they had asked. Seems they make it up as they go along and the customer is wrong or made to feel guilty when their inefficient, slow, mind googling uselessness comes to light. Unanswered phone calls, emails and complete lack of service are the norm. I believed I was going to be getting a world class service from th world's local bank. I believe it is the worlds worst service and it is far from local... A complete joke of a bank!

The site does not allow 0 Star rating; the HSBC premier service so bad in UK & India that I have not words to describe it; I have been a premier account holder since last 5 years but they are just empty promises.

1. They save preferential rate: try getting a mortgage or loan and their Rates are the worst in the market

2. They say dedicated relationship managers: they are there only to sell you products and if you don’t buy they will ditch you before you know what’s happened and you are put on the phone support team’s plate.

3. Frankly apart from this they offer travel insurance, it cost £25-50 to get it separately why should I keep 100K with you.

In short they have a high criteria to achieve premier but they offer Shaity service in return.

And oh almost forgot, the so called relationship managers have a bloody arrogant attitude; worst offender I**ne C***tney Watford branch has a very arrogant attitude and just tries to sell.