Frustrated With HSBC Online Banking (21th August 2011)
There’s always something wrong with it. Always something difficult. Ever-more hoops and obstacles to try and log in. Which often doesn’t work anyway. There are no charts, graphs or other useful ways to view my finances.
Tonight, my Internet Banking User ID doesn’t work. That’s OK though, there’s a link to retrieve it. Except I have to provide my Sort Code and Account Number. I don’t know what those are.
Why would I carry long sequences of numbers in my head? I have Internet Banking to do that for me. Oh, that’s right, it doesn’t work.
Solution
Eventually found an old e-mail which had those details in it. Entered them into the system, hurriedly. Must have gotten a digit somewhere incorrect so had to start again. Got it right on the 3rd attempt.
This now gave me the Internet Banking User ID which was in a different format than I expected. Silly me, the format had changed a couple of months ago.
My web browser was somehow remembering the new value but when I upgraded it forgot the new value. Or maybe it started supporting a technology which prevents web browsers from remembering data such as this.
Still, if that that’s difficult for me to enter my own account then one would hope that means there’s no chance for anyone else. These usability roadblocks had better be making me more secure.
Then again, it makes me check my finances far less frequently and hurry through the one or two tasks I have to do. Spotting subtle irregularities or looking carefully over the history is less likely.