Admittedly I write this very angry and upset. Just when you think nothing else can come along to beat you down, along comes HSBC, The Heartless Bank. After months of searching for any kind of work, without success, I finally managed to get a job at just above minimum wage, just in time for Christmas. Great, I thought! At least I might be able to get a couple of small things to try to celebrate the season.

I deposited my meager pay cheque on Sunday at the branch downtown. Last night I tried to take out $40 to do some Christmas shopping, but the system said “insufficient funds”. It also showed my available funds were more than forty dollars, so I was confused. I figured there was a problem with the machine and I would call in the morning.

When I called I was advised, for the first time, that all deposits are held for SIX days. No one told me this when I first opened the account months ago, or I would not have opened it. I have been with HSBC for some fifteen years, but this didn’t mean a thing to them. I called my branch to talk to my Account Manager, who said there was nothing she could do. When I explained that this was my Christmas money and I desperately needed it, she said she would speak to the manager. She came back saying there was nothing they could do, citing “policy”. So they have stolen what little money I had for Christmas, and don’t give a rat’s ass that they are destroying my Christmas. So much for the holiday spirit.

I have already reported this to one media outlet and I have filed formal complaints with the banks’ regulators. I will not rest until I make the bank as miserable as they have made me. I will be sure to tell anyone who comes within a three-foot radius to NEVER deal with HSBC. You have just been told.