Issues with HSBC Bank regarding dispute
Hello,
I am making this post as I am interested in people’s opinions regarding problems that I have experienced with HSBC throughout their ‘Dispute/Chargeback’ process.
In summary, I placed an order on eBay in November 2025, but received an empty package from the seller, who I believe intentionally sent it empty for his own gain, as there were no signs of tampering, and I recorded the opening due to the package feeling light. Therefore, I contacted eBay and their process dragged on for over a week, before they said that they wouldn’t be refunding me, as the seller had ‘proof of delivery’, as the tracking ‘proved’ that I had received the package, which was empty.
After this, I had no option but to escalate this situation to a chargeback through HSBC, and this process was initiated on 3rd December 2025. Despite making numerous calls to the disputes team between then and February 2026, I received no meaningful update, apart from the standard, ‘your case is with our back office team’. However, on 13th February 2026, I received another letter, informing me that the dispute had been raised - exactly the same as the one received in December, so I queried this with HSBC, who assured me that they were simply reminding me that the case was still being investigated. After this letter, I was promoted to fill in all of the original forms again, before receiving a temporary refund on 19th February 2026, which led me to believe that HSBC had only properly initiated the process after this.
After nearly another 3 months of bureaucracy, it only transpired that my case had been resolved in my favour on 6th May 2025, when I called HSBC on 7th May 2025, requesting an update. This means that from start to finish, the whole process took 5 months, which is unacceptable in my opinion, despite that fact that the outcome was in my favour.
As I was so dissatisfied, I complained to HSBC, and to my surprise, received a prompt response today, after only waiting around 3 days. In this response, HSBC explained that a ‘technical issue with the documents getting lost’ was the reason for the delay between December 2025 and February 2026. Therefore, as a resolution, they have initially offered £100 compensation, which I have declined, stating that I do not regard it as reflective of the inconvenience and stress the situation had caused me for 5 months.
I am still awaiting a response, but I am interested in gathering some opinions as to whether HSBC’s offer was reasonable, considering the mishandling of my case, which caused me a lot of unnecessary stress for a prolonged period.
Any input would be appreciated.