My wife, sister in law and myself called in at Sunderland branch yesterday to lodge a Power of Attorney. Staff member Wilfred dealt with us and all three of us were very impressed at the high level of service. He talked us through the process and contacted the relevant department to arrange matters. There was a hiccup regarding my first name but he overcame that. Throughout our meeting he was very professional and knowledgeable as well having a great personality. We cannot thank him enough and other staff that we saw whilst waiting were extremely welcoming and professional. 10/10. read more

Downgraded to 1 star. This time it was getting money out. Did the transaction, please remove your card and take your money. Removed card then watched the machine whine and try to open where the money comes out. Bearing in mind I'm standing outside in a busy city centre. What do you do, run in the bank and tell them, risking that the money comes out while you're not at the machine? Yes unfortunately. HSBC machines need a huge update for deposits and withdrawals. It's less hassle going to the counter like in the olden days. read more

whenever I've been to this branch of the HSBC I have found that the main part of the building with the counters and assistants, has always been closed. However in the foyer there are numerous machines - one for statements, a couple of cashpoints and a deposit point, which I believe are open for the public to use even when the main part of the bank itself is closed. This branch has an advantage over the others because their machines are inside, so you don't have to faff around outside with all your bags - you can go inside out of the cold (if it's coldand let's face it, in the North East it usually is!) and sort yourself out first. It's usually very quiet when the main part of the bank is closed, and I think the opening hours coincide with the shops opening hours so it's rarely closed unless you go late at night of course! The main part of the bank always looks a bit dated and grubby compared to some other branches of HSBC that i've been to there's also not many of those private booth things, and if you need to see a customer services advisor, I'd recommend that you make an appointment as you may find that you wait a long time if you just turn up. read more