HSBC - Orchard Bank ripoff City Of Industry California
I'm writing to you in regards to my Orchard Bank and House Hold Bank (HSBC) Credit Card Accounts. I'm having issues with over billing, bogus charges, inflated rates, and a run around scam.
For the last two years I have been subjected to fees that didn't pertain to my account. After many attempts to call and get this matter squared away and my account to be reimbursed the debit I was charged, It wasn't done correctly and to this day I'm still being charged amounts that don't pertain to my user activity.
First of all, there are charges called Account Secure Plus that have been added to my statement in the approximate amounts of $12.57 cents. After many attempts and months to get these amounts disputed and credited back to me, March of 2005, I finally got a representative on the phone from their company who stated that it was true I never authorized this protection plan and would be reimbursed the full amounts. It would take 2 to 3 months for me to get my money back so look for it then. If not call their company back and they would resolve the issue.
Several months go by and no I was not refunded the money. I was charged over limit fees due to this charge which also was suppose to be removed from my current statement. Further, when I was contacted from their company to make a payment by phone so I would not be considered late, I was informed I would not be charged for the over the phone payment. Later I noticed I was in the amount of $12.95.
Since I have been trying to dispute these charges for the last year and have always been met with the run around of numbers not working, disconnected, long periods of being put on hold, rudeness, and told to wait for months in advance for the corrections; only to find nothing has been changed and if anything charged more amounts due to maintenance fees and annual fees all while I'm trying to clear this matter up to pay this card off.
Starting May of 2005 I was charged for TLG charges which is suppose to be a subdivision of this bank authorizing $99.99 & $89.99 charges to my credit card for promo's they were offering. After receiving 5 of these debits on my account I had to start writing and calling this company regularly to get this matter resolved. I was informed that I had to call each separate phone number for the TLG charges and get a cancellation confirmation number so that I could call HSBC back and then they would credit me the amounts.
Hence, in November I started calling the TLG companies and each separate department to get these confirmation numbers. Some of the numbers didn't work, you couldn't get through, they hung up on you, and lots of run around again was met on my attempts to resolve this issue. After hours and weeks were spent to resolve these issues, I was finally successful at getting cancellation numbers.
Two months later, all but one has been restored to me. Now one of the accounts, TLG Auto, was only partially paid back to me and when I telephoned Orchard I was told they don't have my statements and don't have the numbers to credit my account or to research it so I have to send a copy of my statement to get the matter resolved. Now I find this suspicious because when you ask about the issue to another rep they can tell you exactly what is going on with my account and a willingness to charge me additional fees to send me a new statement. The odd thing is the dispute company doesn't have any records but yet they are the ones handling my account?
When you email the dispute department they have informed me they are looking into this matter and do have access to my account the problem is that it takes a long time and the company further charges you interest on the account along with other bogus fees. Once again, I'm getting the run around allowing them to keep my account open, it has been officially closed but I can't get the debit paid off because they keep adding more, so they can continually add charges to my account for an account with a debit. I can't close my account because then I can't get my money back.
I closed this account in November and now in January 2006 they have started charging my other credit card, HSBC, these same TLG charges of 99.99. I'm waiting to get reimbursed this debit and then will pay them off. However, the first account really needs to be investigated due to the gross negligence of professionalism and ethical standing a credit card company should be exhibiting during financial transactions.
Please help me to correct this matter. I'm tired of getting passed off, and the run around so that Orchard can continue to put bogus charges on my credit card statement without my authorization or knowledge of. This has become a never ending battle and even if I do seem to get some head way and matters are promised to be resolved only to find another issues has come up and once again I'm thrown back into the chaos when partial credits are restored and then further fees attached. This has been a never ending cycle for over a year now and I could really use the help of the state to get it resolved.
Pamela
fresno, California
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on ORCHARD BANK
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Joseph
Jackson,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
This is what ripoff reports should look like
#6Consumer Comment
Sun, June 25, 2006
I don't really have any suggestions for you but would like to commend you on how well written your report is. I use this site for research purposes and reports like this one give the site that much more credibility. Nice job, hope everything works out.
Pamela
Fresno,California,
U.S.A.
You are right it is not that TLG Auto!
#6Consumer Comment
Tue, May 02, 2006
I wanted to clarify that your company is not the same as the bogus charges.
TLG for the charges were submitted from a third party vendor that was working with HSBC to add these charges onto your accounts and then HSBC would get a kick back for them.
I guess Chase Bank cards are now doing the same thing. These charges did not come from a vendor but from a "friendly" partnering through HSBC/Orchard credit cards. Every month they rotated another venue for the TLG charges. (example: travel, just for fun, auto, travel, etc.) Each one was a charge to your account for 89.99 to 99.99.
These charges had nothing to do with the company just posted. Sorry for the mishap. Thanks for posting and clearing your name.
P, of Fresno.
Marco
North Hollywood,California,
U.S.A.
Clarification of Company Name
#6UPDATE Employee
Tue, May 02, 2006
TLG Auto is a very reputable Porsche repair shop in North Hollywood, CA and has no affiliation or involvment in the "rip-off" claim being made.
TLG Auto has been an upstanding member of the automotive business community for the last 30 years and we continue to provide our customers with HONEST, RELIABLE and TRUSTWORTHY service.
It is imperative that TLG Auto in North Hollywood, CA not be confused with any company named in the "rip-off" claim.
Pamela
fresno,California,
U.S.A.
Resolution Found
#6Author of original report
Fri, March 03, 2006
For those of you that have been fighting HSBC/Orchard for awhile and find yourself being jacked around by supervisors, disconnected, and forwarded to departments that claim they can't help you; Please write the Better Business Beaurue.
I wrote a letter to the BBB and the Attorney General's office documenting what I was experiencing and the outlandish charges that where being allowed on my debt and when I tried to allow this compnay to fix their errors, nothing materialized.
I wrote California's BBB office and immediatley I got a telephone call from the VP's officer wanting to take care of my case. He said that it was his job to make sure i had a good experience with this company.
He reviewed my file and wrote off the existing balance, which wasn't mine, and closed my account. It was resolved within a week. Hence, all of you out there having issues please write the BBB and Attorney General's offices. You will finally get resoultion.
Pamela
fresno,California,
U.S.A.
Please read your statements thoroughly. HSBC has acquired Orchard bank credit card company for a very good reason.
#6Author of original report
Thu, February 09, 2006
For all you reading this please be warned. HSBC has acquired Orchard bank credit card company for a very good reason.
In my opinion when you do bad business and destroy your integrity you buy a company that has a good reputation and start swindling from them. In my opinion, that is exactly what HSBC has done.
Beware of Account Secure Plus charges. The credit card company, who owns and operates this subdivision company, puts additonal charges on your account anywhere from 5.00-13.00 depending on your balance. They will put bogus charges on your account, also from other branches of this company, and when they jack up your limit they charge OVER THE LIMIT FEES.
They will call you and want you to do over the phone payments which they can charge up to 29.00 but they insure you will not be charged these bogus OVER LIMIT FEES.
When you get your statement you not only get charged for the over limit fees but also account secure plus (now they are changing the name for this), TLG charges (they have changed the names on this as well and can be as much as 99.99 several times a month), and then rediculous phone fees.
When you try to dispute the charges they will hang up on you, tell you you need to contact the other companies, who will give you the run around and you can spend several hours every day, trying to talk to someone.
The best, they will tell you it can take up to several months for your statement to change. When the 3 months goes by then you call back in only to find out now they don't have access to those records. Then they will inform you that you have authorized the services.
When you ask for the tape recording of your authorization of these services, I'm specifically talking about the Account Secure Plus, they will tell you they will send you one in the mail.
With in several weeks you will get a call from this company asking to verify your personal account info...like your name, address, and phone number. Later when you receive your tape of consent, it is this information that is used against you but they altered the tape and instead of hearing your address....the party from the credit card company is saying, "do you authorize account secure plus"!
When you try to get through to this third party Account Secure Plus, and you use your touch phone to key in your account number you then get a recording that they will not be able to speak to you and you need to contact the credit card company.
When you call the credit card company they say they can't handle it because they don't have records and they don't have the authority to handle any of the account secure plus information. When the supervisor gets on the phone she will give you a 25.00 credit in good faith but the rest will have to be subtracted by Account Secure Plus.
The 25.00 credit was after a 103.00 was charged to my account without my authorization. To resolve the issue I can no longer contact the HSBC company and the phone system won't allow me to contact Account Secure Plus.
I have been charged over 700.00 worth of bogus charges in the last few months so buyer beware. The only way to close your account and clear up their bogus charges is through an attorney. Oh, and when you close your account, weeks later you get a letter in the mail that states, "Congratulations, we have reopened your account". Now they have access to put more bogus charges on your account.
User Beware!