Consumer complaint received 2016-04-30
Product: Bank account or service — Checking account
Issue: Making/receiving payments, sending money — 
Company: HSBC NORTH AMERICA HOLDINGS INC. (CA)

HSBC processed an unauthorized {$2100.00} debit from my checking account on XXXX/XXXX/16 and still has not returned the funds or given me a status of the investigation. 

In XXXX I went to a branch in XXXX NY to set up a recurring monthly rent payment to my landlord 's XXXX checking account. Last month I went to the same branch to cancel all future payments ( including XXXX/XXXX/16 ), because I was moving. A branch employee had me fill out some paperwork, gave me a fax receipt, and confirmed that all future payments would be cancelled ( including XXXX/XXXX/16. ) On XXXX/XXXX/16, the payment processed as usual, causing my checking account to go negative. I called customer support and was told that the branch employee had given me the wrong paperwork, but that the agent I was speaking to would submit the correct XXXX and that I would get the money back. Two days later I called again to check in and was told I needed to go to a branch to handle the issue. ( I was also told by this agent that the branch would be able to credit my account for the {$2100.00} while everything was pending. ) When I visited a branch in my new city XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, they said they could n't help me and that I needed to call support. A support agent spoke to the teller, had her submit a new stop-payment form, and told me that an investigation would begin in two days and that I would receive a credit on that day. 

Two days later I called support for a status update and was told that there would be no credit and that in her opinion the transaction was authorized by me. I then spoke to a supervisor who told me that I would not be issued a credit until the close of the investigation ( XXXX10 days ), and that they were currently deeming the XXXX/XXXX/16 transaction to be " authorized. '' I told her that I wanted to file a formal complaint and she said she would get me a " reference number, '' which would be added to my account notes and I could call back later to obtain it. When I called back, the agent I spoke to said he could not view the supervisor 's notes because they were " encrypted, '' and instead grilled me for around 30 minutes repeatedly trying to get me to confirm that the XXXX/XXXX/16 transaction was " authorized. '' It has now been over two weeks since that conversation, and I have received no updates. I called customer support today and they were unable to tell me the status of the investigation ( or if there even was one pending ) and said a supervisor would call me back on Monday. 

I have told every support agent and supervisor that ( a ) I went to the NY branch in person to cancel all future transfers and ( b ) that I was given a receipt by the branch confirming that the necessary paperwork was submitted, but so far HSBC has been ignoring that and/or telling me that the transaction was " authorized. '' ( Meanwhile I have been unable to get a hold of my former landlord, so the {$2100.00} has not been returned. A couple support agents have indicated that it 's my " responsibility '' to retrieve the funds from the landlord myself, even though it was HSBC who debited my account without authorization. )