Poor customer service, irresponsibility on HBL’s end or just another angry customer? We will let you decide.
Recently, Hira Najam, an HBL customer, took to Twitter to express her anger and frustration when the bank failed to resolve her concerns for the better part of a week. Her story has gone viral over social media for the better part of the week.
The Controversy
Apparently, going by her version of events, HBL misplaced an enormous amount of Rs. 150,000 that she had transferred from her account and no one knows where it went.
In such a situation, she tried what any other banking customer could do – she contacted their ‘helpline’.
Here’s her complete account of how things went with the HBL helpline:
8 days ago, Hira Najam tweeted this, summing up her issue with HBL and their helpline:
https://twitter.com/hiranajam/status/928208545451053056
Even after the passage of 3 days, no progress was made. She even tagged the official Twitter handle of HBL Pakistan in the hopes that someone could take notice of her issue over social media.
https://twitter.com/hiranajam/status/928559047229542400
https://twitter.com/hiranajam/status/928907207797870592
Another Pakistani tweep had a helpful suggestion for her. To this Hira laid out how many times she had to attempt to get in touch with their customer service helpline. Her phone log said it all:
https://twitter.com/hiranajam/status/929983451717099520
HBL’s helpline, when it actually could respond to Hira, had one standard answer for her whenever she called them -‘to please be patient as they figure it out’.
Hira, seeing as how she was getting nowhere with the helpline, started building her case against HBL as confirmed by this tweet.
https://twitter.com/hiranajam/status/929982040153444352
A week passed and no one at HBL has any idea what happened to the money she transferred.
https://twitter.com/hiranajam/status/929979576951992320
She does have a point here:
https://twitter.com/hiranajam/status/930000860746276864
Since it has been more than a week and all she’s got in return are vague requests to be patient while HBL figures out what went wrong, another Twitter user suggested that she exercise her rights by complaining to SBP’s Banking Ombudsman.
https://twitter.com/AsNr80/status/930684680873168896
If all else fails, she has been advised to visit her branch and go face to face with banking officials:
https://twitter.com/AsNr80/status/930685846784757761
This whole Twitter exchange has illustrated how important it is for companies in the 21st century to listen to their customers. Seeing as how HBL’s Twitter account hasn’t replied to her queries yet, this reflects poorly on one of the largest banks in Pakistan.
Right now we only have one social media user’s version of events as they happened so it is not too far-fetched to assume that HBL’s bureaucracy and lacklustre reputation management social media management skills may have made a non-issue a huge PR headache for the company. They might know the answer to where the money went. But then again, given their shoddy helpline and social media skills who is to blame here?
HBL (New York) Ko Bohat Fine Dena Para hai :
Now They Are Looting Pakistani Awam (Kahi to Paise COVER Karenge Na) :p
The didn’t paid anything for New York penalty. Infact they shut down business there as penalty was too much for their “Okaat”
Hahaah May Be Kiya Pata Penalty Ki Amount He Jama Kar Rahy Ho :p
@UBLtweets was not working for a long time, I had to identify that writing them an email. Now UBL has a new tweeter handle.
This shows how “professional” banking sector of Pakistan is.
Even if you write to State Bank of Pakistan, their complaint cell is just a “dak-khana” passing on replies to customers without looking into it and judging how lame replies can be. I have experienced this with UBL.
State Bank of Pakistan which heavily relies on overseas Pakistanis for remittances has blocked all deposit facilities for NRP accounts mentioning the reason that it wants to curb “hundi” and “Hawala”. As a matter of fact this is not helpful at all, these are just gimmicks as such illegal businesses can still deposit funds in anyone’s account in Pakistan, so what is the point?
100% true story ho gi, cus I am using HBL from 12 years aur is tarah ki cheezain mein nay khud daikhi aur sahi hain, last year meray account say 7K ghaib ho gaye thay aur un ka mujhay abhi tak nahi pata ko wo kahan gaye, lambi lambi calls k baad koi khas jawab nahi milta. Is k ilawa online banking, ATM machines, credit cards sab cheezon mein koi na koi masla rehta hai. aik dafa mein nay gari k tank full kerwaya aur credit card dia to pata chala k hbl credit card 2 din k liye band hai. pump manager acha tha us nay mujhay janay dia aur mein nay aglay din aa k usay cash dia.
Ager ye log lambi lambi commercial aur cricket series ko sponsor kerna chor k paisa apna system theek kernay pay lagaen to kafi cheezain behter ho sakti hain.
Ye Meharban Pump Wale PSO Ka Tha ?
Nops F-6 Markaz Shall pump
Sahi kaha bhai HBL ab sirf advertisement ki had tak he rah gaya hai. Humaray area ki branch main international remittance receiving pr aik aisay Baba g ko bithaya hoa hai k jo shayed 70 k hun gay. Or unain intihai slow kaam krta dekh k ghussa ata hai magar adab say bol bhi nahi sktay.
i think after this transaction she will never use HBL again.
will you even ask her or anyone to use HBL?
How is this incident ‘viral’ when each of her tweet has just a couple of retweets, likes and replies?
point
Bingo! was about to write this, its just that they are trying to make it viral :-)
The story isn’t actually viral, but I am with the lady on this matter.
The worse bank of Pakistan is HBL and National Bank. #MyExperience
Bhai kabhi UBL ko bhi aazmalo. Worst bank ke list main aik aur bank shamil hojayega.
I have used may be 10 banks and the best ones are meezan bank, SCB, Askari, worst ones are NIB, HBL, ufone. But ufone is still way way better then hbl and NIB
Ufone kon sa bank hai bhai? ?
Ap banking mohtasib ko email kar k to dekhain email deliver he nai hote naam nihad banking mohtasib banaya howa ha sbp ki b hbl k samnay koi oqat nai
Main HBL ka customer tu nahi magar as over seas Pakistani HBL ki ghatiya service ki waja say bohat perishani uthani pari kai bar.
Main Meezan Bank main paisay transfer krta hn or yeh paisay HBL k through Meezan Bank main transfer hotay hain. Magar pichaly kai maheeno say kai bar aisa hoa k HBL walo ny paisay transfer nahi keay or balkay yaha k bank ko jhota message bhej dia k paisay customer k account main dal deay gaey hain.
Last maheenay tu had he kr di 29 September ko paisay bhejay or 1 month tak paisay nahi milay kai bar yaha complain ki magar kuch na bna. Finally paisay return krwaey.
Ab yaha k bank ny HBL walo say contract bhi khatam kr dia hai.
Their Fb account does reply
ایچ بی ایل والوں کی گھٹیا ترین کسٹمر سروس ہے ۔۔۔ خاص طور پر ریمیٹنس ہیلپ لائن والوں کا انتہائی گھٹیا انداز گفتگو ہے
میرے اکاونٹ میں صرف باہر سے پیسے ٹرانسفر ہوتے ہیں لیکن یہ حرامزادے اکثر اوقات انٹرنیشل ٹرانزکشن کو لوکل ٹرانزکشن مارک کر دیتے ہیں جس پر ناجائز پیسے اور ٹیکس کٹ جاتے ہیں لیکن نہ تو ہیلپ لائن والے ہیلپ کرتے ہیں اور نہ ہی برانچ والے ۔۔۔۔