A reader sent an update to this article:
First off your “HSBC has the dumbest idea of the year for customer service (July 1) is wrong”. The submitter dialed the wrong number. Stupid mistake but they transposed the number on the statement by one digit and called a pay directory service.
How do I know….. I searched the best buy customer service number on the web (for Chase and HSBC) and thought like a dumb ass. If you think I am kidding try it. The correct number is 18003650292 the number your volunteer called was 18003650229 which is not associated with HSBC or even Chase. It actually directs them to 900 # for a pay for directory service and they state the 9.99 fee upfront. Anyone at first glance would sense a problem i.e. they made a mistake, hang up check the number and dial again (hopefully more carefully this time).
(updated 20 July 2009) — Here is the original article:
This is the dumbest idea in banking, as reported by an HSBC customer in Oregon. We hope this dumb idea does not catch on, and seriously doubt that it would meet an appeals court challenge:
I immediately called the customer service phone number on my statement only to hear a repeated message that instructed me to press * to receive a text message with the company’s contact information. (Apparently customer service is a phone number to give you the text info to get the phone number for the ACTUAL customer service).
Anyway, the text I received wasn’t the phone number at all, it was instructions to reply Y to accept a charge for $9.99 to receive the phone number. Are you kidding me? I now have to call to be instructed to text to reply and pay ten bucks to get the phone number for customer service to fix a financing mistake YOU made?
How much money is HSBC losing, and stupid does HSBC think their customers are?
Just think of how well this dumb HSBC idea will work in China. Here is tomorrow’s headline: “Bank charges $10 to give out customer service telephone number”
HSBC will receive an award for this dumb idea.
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