A WOMAN says her dream holiday was ruined after her bank account was frozen on the way to the airport.
Suzanne Lorrey, 29, had saved up for months to fly to Miami, Florida, to see her boyfriend for the first time in 18 months but was caught out at the last minute.
Suzanne, from Harpurhey, Manchester, had opened a Global Money Account with HSBC in the run-up to her departure on June 16, which would allow her to spend money abroad without additional fees.
She transferred £500 into the account the night before she left and converted it into dollars.
She soon received a text alert telling her the account was frozen and “under review”, leaving her stranded.
Staff at an HSBC branch said she would have to wait for the review to be completed, meaning she was unable to board her flight as she had no money.
Suzanne said her account issues were caused by using a currency conversion feature in her bank account.
She added: “I have been planning for this holiday for a long time, I started paying it off in February.
“Altogether, including flights and accommodation I have spent just over £3000 which I can’t get back.
“I was going to use that £500 – everything I needed was on that card.”
She claimed that she was left crying in the bank and called their customer support 60 times without any luck.
The distraught holidaymaker even spent the night at the airport using HSBC’s live chat service to try and resolve the issue and allow her to fly out.
She was set for a three-week break in Miami but all that is up in the air as her account remains under review.
The telesales assistant fumed: “It has destroyed my entire year, this was my trip for the year.
“It’s not even about the money, I want my holiday. I should be on a beach right now.
“I should not be in England right now, I want my flights and I want them to compensate me for my accommodation.”
A spokesperson for the bank apologised for the “uncertainty and inconvenience” caused to Suzanne.
However, they added: “We were complying with our statutory obligations.”
It comes after a grandad told The Sun how his £5,000 romantic holiday to Mexico was ruined by porn popping up on his hotel TV.
Meanwhile, a couple had their honeymoon turn into a “holiday nightmare” thanks to their hotel’s “weird” drinks rule.
