Credit Card Co. Amends Policy After Telling Vision-Impaired Woman to Fill Out Form
A national credit card company whose workers told a vision-impaired woman that she had to fill out a written form to make a complaint about merchandise she says she was charged for but never received has promised to change its policies.
In an agreement announced yesterday by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the company, HSBC Card Services Inc., says it will make changes to its website and instruct customer service representatives to offer additional help to vision- and hearing-impaired customers, reports the Associated Press.
A 71-year-old vision-impaired New York woman, Barbara Ruel of East Aurora, made the complaint that sparked the changes. She says she spent three months on the phone arguing daily with HSBC representatives about a charge for a household item she never received, the news agency reports. Not only did they tell her that she had to fill out a written form, several told her they had never heard of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which, according to Cuomo, requires such accommodation.
“I was so angry, and I just decided this has got to change,’’ says Ruel.
The article doesn’t include any comment from HSBC, which Cuomo praised for cooperating with his investigation.
Related earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Bank Refused to Cash Armless Man’s Check; Required Thumbprint Lacking”
