How a small pink purse created a big HSBC advocate

I found a purse in the road, a small pink purse – a child’s? No, not a child’s, but a mummy’s purse. House keys attached. PANIC. Tesco ClubCard number attached. Inside was about £200 freshly withdrawn cash DOUBLE PANIC , four library cards, a photo, some crumpled paper with ‘Roger The Plumber’ details, and an HSBC debit card OFF THE SCALE PANIC. No address or phone number (clever lady).

I know what a traumatic experience that can be, so my sleuthing began to find the owner. I went into six shops and asked if they’d seen this lady looking for her purse, no-one had. I crashed in on the christening party taking part in the nearest church and asked. No (I was sure that I would find the owner there).

So, I left my number and name in the six nearby shops, and I also left my number and name under the wipers of the two closest parked cars.It was a Sunday, but my first port of call was Tesco ClubCard. I found the ‘lost’ number and dialed – but they are not open on a Sunday (I thought they were open every day?).

So I phoned the ‘lost card’ number for HSBC and Richard answered straight away. He took the card number and name and informed me he couldn’t give me the lady’s number – I asked if he had her mobile and he did. I explained that she would be panicking and wouldn’t be able to get into her house, nor treat her children. He promised to phone her straight away and give her my number. Within five minutes the lady phoned me, and within 10 minutes the lady was reunited with her purse, her cash, her keys and her sanity.

So thank you HSBC, not only did you restore my faith in humankind, as I did to the lady in question but you’ve probably saved yourselves a few pounds in admin fees in replacing the card too. Not to mention getting yourself broadcast in a positive light to the dozens I’ve told and the hundreds now thanks to this blog – the global bank certainly does do ‘local’. We passed Canary Wharf yesterday on the way to Greenwich, and I told the entire DLR carriage this story too.

Finally, to the two ragamuffins that phoned on the strength of my quick and dirty ads placed to find the purse’s owner, asking for their cash! (My note said ‘if you’ve lost something valuable I may have it, please phone me.’) How very dare you.

Posted by Jenny Tyler, Business Development Director, Lexden