My last job before retirement was something of a challenge. For reasons I will never understand, it had been decided to sell the company where I had spent more than four happy year years. For other reasons, which I will also never understand, I was asked to manage the transition process to the new owner.
Fairly obviously, a key component of the task was communication. Before the sale was announced, we had drawn up a detailed plan as to how we would communicate with everyone affected by the sale. On the day the sale was announced, all the staff were gathered together at our two locations and given a briefing. We told them what we knew, we told them what we didn’t yet know, we gave them names of people to talk to, and we undertook to keep on communicating with them throughout the process, and we did. We sent a letter to all our suppliers and contractors and government contacts; and of course there was the usual press briefing. Over the next couple of months we kept up this communication barrage and it was fundamental to what I like to think was a smooth transition. And of course, once I had finished the job, I was made redundant. Win!
Why am I telling you this trivia? Well, I was browsing a local forum last week and read that HSBC had announced that they were pulling out of Thailand. This could not be true. I have banked with HSBC for many years and have accounts in the UK as well as Thailand, I am a “Premier” customer, and surely HSBC would have informed me if they were about to pull the plug on my account.
So I wrote to my “relationship manager” in Hong Kong. He happily confirmed it was true and sent me the press release which helpfully contained media and investor contact numbers; but not a hint of any support for the HSBC Thailand customers who are about to be dumped. I would like to say that he apologised for not having prevoiously communicated this information to me personally, but he didn’t.
HSBC have now got off their lazy backside and put an announcement on their Thailand website. But have they made any direct communications with their customers? No, they haven’t.
Well, fuck you HSBC. Yesterday I opened an account with Bangkok Bank and I will use them in future for my banking in Thailand. I shall close my accounts in the UK and place my funds elsewhere. Not that you will care. Wankers.
Comments 🔗
2012-02-01| genuinej saysHSBC isn’t all bad Only last week my wife, who worked for them for 6 months in 1968, received correspondence stating how happy they were to have tracked her down and delighted to inform her that she was entitled to a pension. Please complete the enclosed forms, take proof of identity to a notary, jump through a few hoops etc. and we will be able to pay you an annual pension of 78 pence. Or you can have it commuted to a lump sum of £10.95 payable on 23rd March 2012. She can hardly wait.
2012-02-01| Spike saysIt’s massive payouts like this that give banks a bad name.
2012-02-02| Barry saysHow long have you lived in Thailand, and you still expect to receive customer service? Come on! Anyway, their website announcement does say they will be in touch with depositors shortly.
2012-02-02| Spike saysService in Thailand can, and often is, excellent. HSBC are an international company purporting to offer first class service to its Premier customers and they have a no doubt expensive foreign banker heading up their operation in Thailand. A website is not a basis for communication, I for one never look at it. Yesterday I did finally receive a communication; one week too late.
2012-02-02| MSB saysThey are not pulling out of Thailand, they just sold the credit card and retail banking arm to BAY.
The onus is on the buyer to contact its new customers to prevent them leaving….
2012-02-02| Spike saysI am not a customer of the new owner unless I choose to move to them. My current business relationship is with HSBC and will be so for the next couple of months. As with many other people, I also have a business relationship with them in other countries. If they are planning to cancel my account in Thailand, then they should manage that process properly.
They didn’t.