I prefer to leave my money under my mattress. The banks here are terrible. The Hong Kong people have been dealing with their terrible banks for so long that they've come to accept it and deal with it. I can't deal with it. The computer age may have pushed worldwide banking up to new heights, but it has done nothing to help the consumers of Hong Kong.
My bank here in Hong Kong is HSBC. You Canadians may recognise this bank, seeing some odd branches here and there - no one in Canada really knows anyone in Canada who has an account with HSBC - since they hardly have any branches or ATMs they aren't all that practical. Last summer I visited an HSBC bank in Canada trying to get some of my HKDollars out. Not possible. What the -? I think Canada's HSBCs are there just to funnel money to Chinese overseas operations, or its to launder money too.
Several months ago here in HK I needed money and needed to deposit a cheque - but I forgot my PIN (my passcode to enter my account). Maybe it was just one digit I forgot or I was too tired - I couldn't get my PIN number correct. After the third try, the screen informed me that my account was locked. I had to go into a bank.
Now in Canada (my friends here get tired of hearing me say that), if you forgot your PIN, you go to the bank and after providing the necessary documentation to prove we are who we say we are (and not some villain from a Harrison Ford movie) we'd put our card in a fancy Original Series Star Trek-like card reader (with clicking sounds and everything) and punch in a new PIN number (i.e. PIN numbers like 8888 for my aunt, or numbers 2445 like my brother, or 6669 like my friend
Jesse Robertson. Yeah, Bossman!).
So the next day I went to the bank. After waiting the usual 45-minute wait to see the teller, I provided all the necessary documents and hoped the teller's English was good enough to understand me. When all was said and done, she informed me that my PIN would be on its way.
Me: "On its way where?"Her: "To your home."Me: "But I don't need it at home, I need it here, at the 'bank'."Her: "It's not here at the bank."Me: "But you are the bank, and this is my bank card, and I need my money. I have a cheque to deposit and money to get out."Her: "Oh you can deposit your cheque."Me: "Okay - I can put money in - but how about taking money out?"Her: "I'm sorry, I can't do that."Me: "But...you're the bank."Her: "It's for security reasons."Me: "Security reasons? What security? I've already proved to you who I am!"Her: "We must send your PIN to your home."Me: "But my home isn't here! I'm here! Give it to me!"Her: "I'm sorry, I can't do that."Me: "Why can't we just set a new one, or give me one here?"Her: "Because we must send your PIN to your home."By this time I was looking for cords or wires leading out from the back of the teller - the automated responses and circular logic were getting eerie (strange).
So I deposited my cheque and took a draft out on my credit card.
Recently I had to go back to the bank to get information for my mandatory retirement savings account, standard when changing jobs.
Me: "I need to know what my bank number, branch number, and account number are. Can you provide this information on paper so I don't need to come back?"
Her: "Here it is." (Hands me a post-it)
Me: "Can't I have some print out information about my account?"
Her: "No."
Me: "Why not?"
Her: "I gave you a paper."
Me: "This is tiny. I will lose this. Please give me a print-out or something."
Her: "No."
Me: "Why not?"
Her: "I gave you a paper."
Me: "Arg! Why can't you give me some sort of paper or something?"
Her: "If you like, we can close your account and you can open a new one. It will have a paper."
Me: "Seriously?"
Her: "We can start now."
Me: "That's ridiculous!"
Her: "Well you have that paper."
Me: "Arg! Arrrg!"
Her: "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Me: "...yes. Can You write down any other information I may need?"
Her: "Let me check...it seems you have an internet account too. You used it once last year. Here's your user name. Do you remember your password?"
Me: "No. How can I get it?"
Her: "You come in and-"
Me: "And then, let me guess, you'll mail it to me."
Her: "Yes."
Me: "I hate you. I want to cry."
Her: "Thank you, come again."
On the related issue of terrible customer service...
I'm cutting off my Canada credit cards, and my Internet Service Provider sent me a letter to inform me that they can't process my payment (read: they can't get at my money). The letter said I could update my account info via their website.
So I did. I put in the details for the HK Credit Card that they can use to bill me.
The next week I got an SMS message on my cellphone/mobile phone:
NETVIGATOR Bill A/C xxxxxxxxxx To avoid suspension, pls get the bill details via cs.netvigator.com & settle the overdue $218 at 7-Eleven asap
I was not a happy camper. It doesn't matter that I did not like the confusing tone of the message (go to the 7-Eleven and/or go to the website?) but I had already did this! I already did send the bill details via their website!
So I (reluctantly) called them.
Me: My account number is xxxxxxxxx
Them: Yes, how can I help you?
Me: Don't suspend my account.
Them: Excuse me?
Me: You want to suspend my account. Don't. Don't suspend my account. Do not.
Them: Let me see - we have a problem processing your payment - your credit card doesn't work.
Me: Yes - I already updated my billing information using your website, as you had instructed in the letter sent to me.
Them: Yes, I have it here - is it number xxxxxxxxx?
Me: Yes - so what's the problem?
Them: So, do you want to use this credit card?
Me: ... (pause)
%$#@in' $#%&- of course! That's why I updated it, you piece of #%$*!
Them: Okay. No problem!
Me: (crying)
Them: Is there anything else I can do for you?
Me: Yes...make sure you don't suspend my account.
Them: Okay!
So apparently their company practice is to inform clients to update billing information, and then prompt the client to contact the company to apply the use of said billing information independent of billing problems that even may lead to service disruption.
A few days later I got a letter reminding me of the problem they have with credit card number. Likely sent before I had this telephone conversation. Like with the other mail I had from them, it didn't matter.
