I noticed that I had a $59.00 charge on my account due to an annual fee. Other than this fee, the acount was paid off. I never received a bill for this "fee". I only found out about it reveiwing my credit report. I immediate logged into the HSBC site and saw what the fee was for. I then looged into my personal bank account and made arrangement to pay this fee. The due date had not passed, and there was adequate time to process a payment.
Now in the following month, I see that the payment was "received" but noted as a day late. I logged into my bank and see that HSBC had sucessfully receive an electronic payment from my bank, 1 day prior to the due date; the late fee was assesed on the due date.
I try fruitlessly to submit a dispute on this charge thru the HSBC website. The website for submitting disputes is constantly in maintenance. I finally call and after a long hold get an agent who I can barely understand.
I explain the situation to him. I really don't think he can undestand me. He goes on and on about how they must receive the payment in the mail prior to... I tell him this was not a mailed payment and thay I have documentation from my bank that they received the payment prior to the due date, and that they posted the payment after the fact, in order so they could charge the late fee. He did state that since I was such a long time customer he would be happy to waive the late fee and credit my account. Settling for the fact that this was about as good as I was going to get, I asked him for a transaction number for the agreement. He stated that they don't have transaction/receipt numbers for this. I asked him what proof I then had for this promise. I got no answer. I then hung up in frustation.
I then check my account several days later, still no credit on the account as promised. I try again the website and to my amazement it now works. I ask about my credit that was to be applied and I receive a reply that it wil take 2-3 billing cycles for it to appear. Guess I can't charge a late fee for a credit. I am the reminded again that my paymemt must be mailed...
I reply yet again, that the payment was not mailed it was an electronic bank fund transfer which I have all the records for from my bank. The payment was received by HSBC the day before the due date. I get another response teling me they undersatnd how frustrated late fees can be a in the future please mail...
I wonder how many others are hit with late fees due to HSBC's conviently posting payment after a few days in order to be able to charge these fees. If mailed a check, shy of certified, how would you know when they got the payment. I really don't think they realize that no mail was involved in this payment and they got "caught".
I filed an FTC complaint and urge others that have had similar experience do th same. My FTC tranaction nubmer is 19851894. Yes, they give one, unlike HSBC.
It's time we the American consumers speak up, ban together and put a end to these practices. Class action suits are only option against thm.
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