Consumer complaint received 2021-02-23
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Opening an account — Didn't receive terms that were advertised
Company: HSBC NORTH AMERICA HOLDINGS INC. (WA)

( TL ; DR at bottom ) In XX/XX/XXXX, I decided to open a Premier Checking account with HSBC. One of the reasons I decided to switch to HSBC was a {$470.00} dollar promotional deposit that the company was offering at the time. 

I heard of the promotion on the following website link ( this link still reflects the company 's promotions for the month of XX/XX/XXXX ) : XXXX XXXX XXXX # PremierCheckingWelcome The details of the offer were described accordingly : " '' '' '' Minimum deposit to qualify : {$0.00} Expiration date : XX/XX/XXXX How to get it : Open a new HSBC Premier checking account by XX/XX/XXXX. Next, make monthly direct deposits totaling at least {$5000.00} from a third party for three straight months from the second full calendar month after opening the account. 
When youll get it : About eight weeks after completing all qualifying activities Terms and conditions : This offer is only available to new HSBC Premier checking customers, and all applications must be completed online. 
Monthly fees : {$50.00}, but can be waived if balance requirements are met Promotion page : HSBC Premier Checking Welcome Deposit " '' '' '' The final line included a hyperlink to HSBC 's promotional website for this offer. The company has continued to use this url for its promotional offers : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX I navigated to the HSBC promotional page in a separate tab to confirm that the offer was legitimate. Using HSBC 's own webpage listed above, I chose the Premier Checking promotion offering {$470.00} dollars as a promotional or " welcome '' deposit. I read the terms and conditions of the offer to make sure I qualified for the welcome deposit. 

I applied on XX/XX/XXXX, and my account was opened on XX/XX/XXXX. 

The main criteria to receive the welcome deposit was to " make recurring monthly Qualifying Direct Deposit totaling at least {$5000.00} from a third party to your HSBC Premier checking account ( s ) for 3 consecutive calendar months from the second full calendar month after account opening. '' I achieved the required Direct Deposit amount starting in XX/XX/XXXX. Under the language of the agreement, I became eligible for the welcome deposit by the end of the XXXX. Following the offer language that I would receive the deposit " six to eight weeks after meeting the conditions '', I expected the {$470.00} by XXXX. I made one or two calls to HSBC Premier customer service in late XXXX to confirm that the money was incoming. Both times, I was told that I had definitely met the requisite conditions to receive the welcome deposit, that the money was simply delayed due to the holiday season, and that I would receive the deposit in the first week of XXXX. 

In early XXXX, I still hadn't received the deposit, so I called XXXX XXXX customer service again. They opened a query on my account and told me to expect a resolution within a week. I was told I would receive a call back to confirm my complaint within 5 business days. After about 10 days, I emailed HSBC from their website for an update on my query. I received the following message back on XX/XX/XXXX : " Thank you for contacting HSBC Bank USA, N.A. 

We have received your follow up BankMail inquiry with regard to the status on bonus offer. 

Your account was reviewed by our Campaigns and Promotions Department and found that your account application was not submitted via required campaign/Marketing Landing Page. As such, we regret to inform you that your account is not eligible to avail the bonus. 

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. '' I was confused and upset when I received this response. For one, this statement was in contradiction to earlier representations made by HSBC customer associates. Second, the message did not indicate what evidence HSBC had to come to this conclusion, and did not provide any evidence or further explanation. If the promo page I had used wasn't the right one, what was the right page? 

I called HSBC Premier customer service the following day. The customer service rep assigned to my query was XXXX ( phonetic spelling ). I explained my confusion and disagreement with HSBC 's written message. At the end of my call, XXXX told me that she would escalate my complaint and that I would receive a resolution within 5 days. She also promised she would call me back as soon as my query had been resolved. 

Another 10 days passed. No resolution. No further communication from HSBC. 

I called several times in early XXXX for updates. At this point, I was working with a customer service rep named XXXX or XXXX. Each time I called, she told me that her records indicated that the escalated query was still under investigation. This continued for about 2 weeks. 

On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I called again for an update. XXXX/XXXX  offered to personally forward my complaint to a " relation manager '' for resolution. She assured me that the relation manager would call me within 2 business days. She also indicated that other HSBC customers were trying to get their welcome deposit, and that I was " definitely not the only one '' having this problem. 

2 days passed. No contact from HSBC. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I once again called XXXX and had a nearly identical conversation to the one around XX/XX/XXXX. She said she had re-emailed both her managers about my complaint, that she couldn't do anything more. She once again said a relation manager would reach out to me. 

To date, I have still not heard from HSBC. 


TL ; DR : I opened an HSBC checking account and qualified for a special welcome deposit of {$470.00}. After first telling me that I was going to receive the deposit, HSBC claimed I didn't meet the requirements for a promotional welcome deposit. They refuse to provide any evidence or explanation as to how they came to that conclusion. They have also promised multiple times that I will receive a call from a " relation manager '' to resolve my complaint, but nothing has happened. I have tried for two months to resolve this problem, but have been constantly frustrated by HSBC 's non-existent communication and refusal to address my claim.