HSBC ruined our holiday

[Iulbahar]

Four years ago I moved back to the UK after living in Greece for 17 years and opened an account with HSBC. Every year I spend a total of 6 weeks plus at a house I still own there. This year I'd been in Greece about 3 weeks and was using my HSBC debit card as usual until I found to my horror that it wasn't working. To make matters worse, my daughter and I were visiting Marmaras in Halkidiki at the time, so had no friends there I could borrow money from. This situation lasted for 4 days until we were completely without cash and had to return to my house near Thessaloniki. I didn't even have money for the coach fare back and we had to accept a lift from someone we hardly know.
Back in Thessaloniki I managed to borrow money from a friend so I could top up the mobile and phone HSBC. They told me they had cancelled my card. The reason given was that 'they had noticed several withdrawals in Greece'. (3 in actual fact.)
I am absolutely furious because:
1 If they had looked at my records they would see that I visit Greece every year for several weeks.
2 When I opened the account I gave my Greek house as the previous address. I've also informed the bank that I own a house in Greece.
3 I was not overdrawn. The total withdrawals were about the same as I would normally spend in the UK so the amounts were not excessive.
4 I owed a total of about £30 on my credit card. This was not working either.
As you can imagine, being suddenly left in an out of the way place with no cash and no means of getting any ruined our trip completely and I was left feeling sick with anxiety. Greece is very much a cash only society. I feel that my daughter and I were placed in a dangerous and uncomfortable situation by some thoughtless bank employee. By the last day we barely had enough money to buy a bottle of water and the temperature was 40C. Normally I would have got a taxi from the coach station to my house but we had to walk up a steep hill with suitcases in this oppressive heat.
I'd be grateful for advice on whether I can claim against the bank for distress and inconvenience caused by their actions, and if so how to go about it.

[Nattie]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

The answer is I am afraid, No. The bank was following their own security procedures. Can I ask if you told the bank you were going to Greece? Or whether you told your credit card company you were going to Greece as they can provide a telephone number to call them if any problems arise overseas? The number can be used to reverse the charges as well. Is you phone number up to date on the banks database. Normally they will make attempts to call you if there is suspicious transactions on the card and put a stop on it(cancelling it is extreme) until you make contact with them.

[iancognito]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

Well I'm sorry Natty but if it is a banks security procedures to put a hold on every card that is used abroad they need to seriously review their procedures.

In this case the bank appear to have evidence to support use of the card abroad but many people go abroad for holidays every week and use their cards abroad, in fact the banks tell us they are happy to do so - for a fee or unfavourable exchange rate.

Should I tell the bank I am going abroad - lets get one thing straight here, I am the customer, they are supposed to be providing me with a service, I should have access to my money no matter where I am.

Card fraud - well they let some fraudster with draw £1500 cash out of my nieces account in 2 days, despite their being a £350 per day limit on it.

Not particularly good procedures are they?

[Amethyst]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

Happened to me on a holiday to Canada and it was flipping annoying as they cancelled the card I had and said they'd send a replacement to my home address when i rang and told them of the problem - yeah very helpful.

My fault (well not really but I understand the banks security procedures) for not informing them i woul dbe using the card in canada.

However the OP has a fair history of being in greece, is registered on their systemsn as having property in greece, so should not have to tell the bank everytime he visits greece.

I would definately put in a complaint to the bank stating all the reasons you have as above, and escalating it to FOS.

[Nattie]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

I give in with the advice with other banks. Because two things are said continually, the bank want you to use your card abroad(UNTRUE - we advise you to use your card abroad in an emergency and take cash/travellers cheques{no commission with NatWest before you trash that idea} and the other is take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you do not get the answer you want. The bank would have been damned if it was fraud and damned because it wasn't. I think you do need to find out what HSBC did to try and contact you prior to stopping the card to confirm the transaction and whether the contact details they have for you are correct if they did.

[Tempty]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

I have to admit, I'm a bit on the side on this one.
should the bank have canceled the card as there was evidence to support the card had been used in Greece before? well possibly not on that one... unless as natie says they tried to contact to query it and got no reply.

I have however been in the situation where (and yes Nattie I'm actually going to say something positive about Natwest for once...lol) my card had been used fruadualntly! Happened while we were away for a few days in Cornwall. someone had used my card on Ebuyer (online) to buy themselves a laptop! and had then tried to spend about £1500 on jewlery aswell!! (i did'nt have that amount of cash there..... but the overdraft would have covered it.....just!) Thankfully after trying to contact me ....and failing! they canceled the card. Was a pain in the ass when in Cornwall I discovered I had no cash....... but I have to admit I was very grateful they picked up on at..... I did get the money for the laptop refunded too.
Like Nattie say's I would deffinatly try to find out what efforts were made to try to contact you first...... before you shout too loudly! ya never know....next time they just may catch a fraudster at work

[EXC]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

Well far from wanting to take issue with you Nattie but if card issuers didn't
want you to use their card abroad then they shouldn't freely advertise the fact
that you can in their sales pitch.

And if Iulbar used the card in Greece in previous years with no problem then it's
plainly obvious that the card was cancelled on a whim and if it wasn't,
all the other occasions the card was used successfully abroad must have slipped through bank's security ''procedures''. They just can't have it both
ways.

If it had happened to me I'd be straight into HSBC clutching a bunch of card
transaction receipts from previous trips in one hand and a senior managers' throat in the other. I always think it's best to be polite in these matters.

[Nattie]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

EXC, much as I see where you are coming from, BANKS do not advertise to use your card abroad, if a customer asks the question then yes you do advise them and tell them about the charges for doing so. Nationwide I believe use that pitch, HSBC use the world;s local bank. As I said, the OP needs to know what the bank did to contact them with regards to this. The bank IMHO have been at times pretty poor and I have examples of my own bank from experience. I understand why the OP did not contact the bank prior to going but they need to find out what they did do, ie did they call and what number did they use. If they did not call or make an attempt to then, yes I think there is a case for compensation.
By the way, so everyone is clear, we(natwest) do not advise someone take their card to use for everyday transactions abroad but only in an emergency. You should take cash/travellers cheques. You should always have 2 cards on you, in case the other does not work.

[Amethyst]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

Nattie

Your Visa debit card abroad




Use your Visa debit card while you’re abroad – on holiday or on business – just as you do at home. Whether you’re paying for a hotel or a table at a restaurant, or buying petrol from a garage or a supermarket,* you’ll enjoy the same security and peace of mind. There’s no need to carry large amounts of cash and you’ll get an automatic record of the transaction. And when you pay by Visa debit card you’re protected against fraud for any unauthorised spending.


In some countries you may need to use your PIN (personal identification number), so make sure you memorise it before you leave home.
If you need more cash while you’re abroad, you can use your debit card to withdraw money at a cashpoint or over the counter at any bank displaying the Visa symbol. You can withdraw money up to your limit in sterling as long as you have cleared available funds in your account. You’ll need to know your PIN and have some ID (a valid passport will do) when you withdraw money from a bank.
Fees apply to using your debit card abroad. Click here for debit card charges.
If your card is declined, please call (+44) 207 785 7654. Lines are open Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm and on Saturdays from 9am until 1pm (local time in the UK).

make of it what you will

[Nattie]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

Helpful telephone number if the card does not work, clearly a service

[Sapphire]

Re: HSBC ruined our holiday

There is another way round this, my Uncle has bought a place in Dubai and he/we have opened a bank account out there, all we do is transfer funds out there before we go. My brother in law has a place in Portugal and has done the same as has various friends and relatives who have got places abroad.
Wouldn't it be a good exercise to do that if you have another property anywhere in the world and expect to be visiting it regularly.

sapphire