World's Worst HSBC Award

Where I come from, HSBC is a prestigious bank. It is also a reliable bank in many parts of the world.

However, HSBC in Dubai is unique.

It is so different from the rest that it stands out (like a sore thumb I might say). And once you have started becoming a customer, it is likely to be an unforgettable experience.

The day that we started our cabin crew training, the bank's representative came to our apartment and offered to open bank accounts for all of us. So there was no hassle...everything was taken care of. This is unheard of in Malaysia.

Then the credit cards arrived only after endless calls to the bank. Some of my friends who opened the bank account at the same time as I did haven't even received theirs. It had already been 9 months since. As you might have guessed, they have given up completely on getting their credit cards.

The most amazing thing is, they never send us our card statements. And when I told them about it, they replied saying that they already did. It also baffles me that I receive my bank account summary every month but never my card statements.

My friend also tried to complain to them about the card statements. But after doing so for a few times, she got really pissed. The final answer given by the customer officer over the phone was, "We have already sent it to you. We will try again but we can't promise you anything."

Right, no promises. If I remember correctly, no bank customers need any promises on getting their credit card statements delivered to them. It is simply the bank's job to ensure that it's done. It's their responsibility that isn't even worth mentioning. It's something that's taken for granted.

But right here in Dubai, it's the customer's own responsibility to make sure they pay their credit card bills on time WITHOUT having a statement. Cos if you don't pay on time, they will still charge you the interest while they have already saved a considerable amount of money (postage, printing, stationery fees) by not sending you your statement.

Recently, one of my friends here wanted to get a car. She needed to get her bank account summary printed out. So she went to HSBC and requested it. The bank charged her AED25 (RM23) for each printed page. She needed 3 pages.

Therefore, the World's Worst HSBC Award goes to Dubai HSBC.

P.S.: Even the main Internet service provider here doesn't send me the monthly bills. I have to call up their customer service line every single time I need to pay the bill. And each time, it would take them 10 to 20 minutes to answer because according to the automated voice recording, "all our customer service agents are busy at the moment". And the opening to the recording is "Welcome to Etisalat, we are here to make your life easier". I beg to differ, they are here to make our lives hell. See, they ban Skype and also another Korean communication software here. My belief is that they wanna monopoly the communication market here.