HSBC

I CAN NOT stress this enough: do not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE bank with HSBC. I applied for a mortgage almost a year ago because they were offering the lowest rate on the market at the time. So I jumped through ALL of their hoops, filled out mounds of paperwork and was denied (I'll get to that). I was told during the application process that in order to apply for the mortgage that I would have to open a bank account with HSBC as a prerequisite. So the woman that I was dealing with opened a chequings account in my name and told me that I never had to actually use it or put money in it, and that there was no fee. So, after being denied the mortgage I assumed that the account would be closed as well. Well that didnt happen. I've gotten 4 phone calls today from collections demanding that I pay the outstanding balance for the account which was $25 a month, for the last 11 months, and then overdraft on top of that as there were no payments made. So after being on the cellphone for 2+ hours, they were gracious enough to offer to knock that balance down by half. How kind. I dont think so. How can I be charged for an account that has never seen a penny of my money? And when applying for the mortgage, I applied for a 275k loan (I make 6 figures and have minimal debt, small student loan, a car and a cellphone) and excellent credit. Well I somehow got denied without them even running my credit, so I'm not sure how that works?

Oh dear... where do I even begin? We visited this branch to speak to a "mortgage adviser" that we had made an appointment with a few days prior. To start, the person was 10 minutes late. The next hour and half was truly one of the most excruciating and painful displays of incompetence that I have ever witnessed in the customer service world. This person was unable to answer even the most basic questions about mortgages, could not perform simple calculations and was clueless on regulations, rates and a great many other topics. One one occasion, we asked for some details on a bridging loan. Clearly unable to answer, he left the room, literally left us waiting for 20 minutes while he went to speak to a more knowledgeable colleague about the topic. On another occasion, we asked him to calculate a simple blended rate mortgage. He stepped out of the office again to "find a calculator". Again, we sat there waiting for 10 minutes while he searched for his calculator. It turns out he wasn't able to do the calculation, couldn't figure out how to use his Excel spreadsheet and didn't end up providing us with an answer. Lastly, he promised that once we left, he would look into our questions and get back to us in "10 minutes" along with sending us an e-mail with the documentation that we needed to provide him to begin the pre-approval process. One day later, no phone call and no e-mail, despite two voice-mails left on his direct line. This would have been comical had it not supposed to have been an important conversation for us. This branch is a farce. I fully intended to go back later this week to provide my feedback in person about this absolutely ridiculous experience. Don't waste your time here. We have an appointment at the Windermere branch tomorrow in the hopes that they might be a bit more competent.

Been waiting for a follow up from Navdeep Walia for 2 years now. Never heard anything back even after multiple calls to his direct line. Called the branch to try and voice my concerns, always fell on deaf ears. Do yourself a favor and bank anywhere else. Unless your depositing millions of dollars or plan on investing a small fortune with these people don't expect to being taken seriously or even have your calls returned.

The entire building is getting a facelift, it should be pretty good looking after the work is done.

The worst HSBC branch and bank I've ever seen around the world. The call centres are managed by people who don't listen to your concerns. Staff inside the branch sent me an "official" email, full of spelling mistakes to present to a credit card company, the staff were unhelpful and have no idea how to conduct a 21st century banking. I've opened this branch as a newcomer, but ended up closing the account because I got fed up with the group of jokers running this so called bank!! Avoid at all costs!!