So I went in twice to meet with the new accounts person at HSBC. Based on her advice, I opened up a Sterling currency account, a US dollar currency account, and a US savings account. I wrote a lump sum check from my US bank to my dollar account at HSBC because she told me there would be no fees doing it that way, it would just take longer than a wire. I had asked her several times about depositing those random US dollar checks I still get, and she said there would be no fees in a dollar-to-dollar account. She said I could transfer money from my US currency account to the sterling account with no fees, too. She was also 99% sure that my US paycheck could be automatically deposited into my US currency account, that they were a member of the ACH network.
Imagine my surprise to be hit with a $75 fee for the lump-sum check -- a wire would have been cheaper! And I have since found out that some of my US checks are so small they can't be deposited because the fees are higher than the check value. And yes, contrary to what she told me, there are fees on every check you deposit. And they are not part of the ACH network, so I can't have my paychecks automatically deposited.
I feel completely taken advantage of and lied to. Her response when I reminded her of everything she'd told me was "sorry, my mistake" and then she gave me a number to call for more clarification on international accounts. And I know what that means -- they'll "sorry" me to death but do nothing.
Is there any recourse that anyone knows of? I know in the states they would reimburse me, but what will they do here? What can I ask for when I talk to someone higher up?
I sure miss my friendly home-town credit union =(
