I
have received my cheque book on Friday. It was a big event for me as it was my first cheque book in my entire life! I looked through every single page of it and even though the pictures repeated themselves, I was so excited I didn’t notice.
Now that my banking in France is going pretty smooth (apart from the fact I still don’t know how to fill the cheque out) I decided to tell the whole story from the beginning - which in many ways - wasn’t’ pleasant at all.
It all started about a week later from the day we moved in. We needed internet connection and you can’t sign a contract with wanadoo unless you have a bank account. So one day I organized my handbag (which doesn’t happen very often) put in there my passport, my rental contract, marriage certificate, birth certificate, my husband’s income paperwork etc. God knows what French banking bureaucrats will want, so I took everything. First we went to Credit Mutuel. There they booked me an appointment in 2 weeks. I am not famous for my patience so I went to Credit Agricole as well. They booked me an appointment for next morning – I was over the moon.
The next morning I got up unusually early and got ready. I couldn’t wait to open my French bank account. I went to the bank, the appointment went smooth and after 2 hours of interviewing and filling out silly forms I had my account. Immediately afterwards I went to the France Telecom Boutique and registered for internet connection. We had a nice lunch in a local café and went home. I sorted some things over the phone with my bank in England, transferred some funds and finished the conversation. I am happy; my funds are flying over the channel into my French account and will take 3 to 5 days to clear. Just as I put the phone down it started ringing again! It was the guy who opened my Credit Agricole account and announced, that unfortunately my account will be closed!I started panicking and I was furious! I rang my bank in England to cancel the transfer – in vain. The money was in mid air – stuck between France and England no account to go to! Oh dear how angry I was!
About a week and a half later my money returned to my English bank account. I was very pleased. And the appointment in the Credit Mutuel was coming fast. I decided to give it a try. I went into Credit Mutuel waited for 30 minutes for a lady to be bothered to try and open an account for me. After 20 minutes interview she started opening my account. She got stuck on the first page as Lithuania is not on her pc list. Never mind that country is in EU that is not important. She started inquiring why I don’t have a British nationality and I became irritated! After another 20 minutes humiliation, explaining me that I can’t have an account because Lithuania is not in Schengen zone – which it is, I wanted to leave! I looked on her list on the pc and became even more annoyed! In the list there was Great Britain which obviously is in EU but not in Schengen zone, Algeria – which belongs to neither, and some other countries that I don’t remember anymore. I got up to and the girl in the bank decided to humiliate me once more:
- You are so young and married already – she said – in France girls don’t get married until the age of 25.
- Stick your bank up your… - I thought but said "thank you" and walked out.
I was very angry, and it took me a week to get over that visit.
Still I needed a bank account and I decided to go to Post Office. It took me a week to get an appointment, and I was extremely nervous! Eventually I was sitting in this little room in the local post office in Sarrancolin. The financial adviser (or something very similar) was talking to me slowly in French. Everything went smooth. After an hour or so, the forms were finished and she updated the information onto the pc. The she said.
- Now all the details will be checked in Toulouse and you should get the reply within a week. I am sure everything will be fine.
- Thank you – I said.
- And by the way – she said showing her beautiful smile – I think you are such a great woman, you are young but you are a writer (that’s what I put down under the occupation) and you are married with an Englishman; and you are Lithuanian who is definately fluent in English and speaks French – I envy you.
- That is very kind of you – I replied, I simply couldn’t believe in what she said.
- Until the next time. She smiled once more.
We shook hands and I left. Within a week and after few hick ups I had my account and it’s the Le Banque Postale cheque book that I keep looking at. There are real happy endings – even in real life, and you don’t have to be a Cinderella to get it!
2 comments:
We had problems just adding me to my husbands account that had been open for years. After two meetings and organizing and bringing all the silly papers required we were told that I could not be added until I had a carte de sejour in hand. It was the law. Shouldn't that had been asked right away...from the get go since the gentleman helping us knew that I was American only just arriving in France? Oh, I was furious. We finally closed his old accounts and opened a new one at Le Banque Postale like you. They are always so helped and kind to me even if my French is not the best.
Sometimes I think that French people like saying to you no, because you're are foreign (or not). In some banks they asked me to bring Carte de Sejour too, nevermind that it doesn't exist anymore (I think it doesn't exist for at least over a year, but their computers are about 20yrs old so I guess it's normal). Sometimes I am holding myself down not to poke those people's eyes out! And it took me about 5 minutes to write this comment because I kept checking my spelling, because the keyboard is French - though I still like this country a lot!
Post a Comment