Query: HSBC and SSL

[Jarvis]

My client has been told by HSBC that he needs SSL on ALL pages for him to use them.
(He hosts with our own hosting and is NOT on Fasthosts as I know they require it by default for Actinic).
He does not wish to take payment on site and no images etc will be hosted on site.
Anybody got any experience of this?
It seems odd to me that he needs to spend a fortune for people to look at a T-shirt.

[guccij]

You mean HSBC E-Payments? If so, then your client has been wrongly advised. You do not need SSL at all as HSBC is the PSP.

Edit - yes Jo is 100% right. The SSL only kicks in after the customers leaves your site. On our site, we use SSL in the checkout area as well, but this isn't necessary.

[Stereo Steve]

I've heard people being told this by HSBC before when signing up. It's not true. You maybe just need to speak to somebody else.

[pinbrook]

The confusion here is yes you do need SSL to bounce from the site to HSBC BUT this is provided by Actinic.

Go and look at any actinic site you know that uses HSBC you will see it bouce off to SSL at Actinic before landing at HSBC. This is what HSBC are talking about, i suspect other carts don't provide this extra layer.

So no your client does not need his own SSL cert

[Jarvis]

Thanks to you all.
Jo, the client has stressed that their contact at HSBC is insisting that the whole site is secured with SSL.
He's making me look pretty stupid. (not difficult )

Annoyingly nobody will divulge where this is written so that I can check how they are interpretng it.

It is getting to the point were I am losing credibility with a long standing client.

[los_design]

Have you contacted HSBC to supply you with something tangible to show Mr C?

Or get Mr C to tell you whom he spoke to?

regards

[Jarvis]

Have you contacted HSBC to supply you with something tangible to show Mr C? Or get Mr C to tell you whom he spoke to?...

Yes Daren, I tried to speak to the client's HSBC contact but was left on hold whilst they "tried to track him down". 20 mins then dead, ("The other party has hung up").
I rang again and got assurances that he would call me back. Still waiting.

As it happens HSBC are my own bank, (though not my business's).
I called them to see about setting up a similar arrangement.
I swear I have never answered so many, press 1 for..., type questions.
When I finally got through, the bloke was a very thick asian accent and difficult to understand.
Regardless, he could not answer technical questions and his recommendation was that I fill in the on-line form.

I called in my main branch and was told that I needed to have a business account before they would talk about it.

It beggers belief the extent some companies go to to put prospective clients off!

This has cost me a fair bit of time and money that I can't realistically pass on to the client. All I want to do is save them unnecessary expenditure!

Crazy World...

[pinbrook]

Jo, the client has stressed that their contact at HSBC is insisting that the whole site is secured with SSL.

I've been in this situation with hosting clients too.

some have given up and bought SSL (against my advice), others have percevered and told HSBC to look at their own procedures.

But the essence is the same - you don't need it

[Stereo Steve]

Stick to your guns and show the client some actinic sites using HSBC that are not fully SSL. The guy he is talking to is obviously just another corporate moron. He needs to ask for an alternative moron who will not have a stick up his arse about this issue.

[Jarvis]

...He needs to ask for an alternative moron who will not have a stick up his arse about this issue.

Thanks Steve, you just made my day!