Regular readers may remember the frustration I am experiencing with some silly Post Office savings account I have; about which I wrote on Aug 19th.
Since then I have returned to the Post Office on numerous occasions; the last being yesterday when I was expecting to simply pick-up my savings book with the interest added.
Of course I should have known better. Yet again they wanted more information and more signatures. It really has become a joke. The amount of money I'm spending on petrol will soon surpass the amount in my account.
This time they wanted details of my UK bank account..... goodness knows why, it's not the sort of information I divulge happily. I ended-up giving them details of my French account.
I'm now just off to see them again with all their latest requests! More anon...
I'm now back from the Post Office. I gave the nice lady what she wanted, and she told me that my money would be credited to my bank account, and my Post Office account was now CLOSED. When I asked why, she didn't seem to know, but said that if I wanted another account I'd have to fill in more forms. NO BLOODY THANK YOU.
This kind of thing is funny when it doesn't happen to you isn't it? I have had many similar experiences with legal things since my dear farmer died three years ago
ReplyDeleteThis whole process has been unbelievable. I'm just happy it's all over (at last).
DeleteYes, top heavy bureaucracy at its best. I remember years ago visiting my solicitor to pay a bill of £600 in cash and was asked for proof of identity. I've been on first name terms with him for decades, and actually went to school with his secretary so it seemed a bit strange to be asked this when paying a bill, so I queried the reason and was told that any cash transaction of over £500 needed proof of identity, they took a photocopy of my passport, it was to prevent money laundering and terrorism.
ReplyDeleteA worthy aim but I still struggle to imagine how paying a bill in cash to my solicitor is helping to prevent money laundering or terrorism?
Or am I missing something?
Our lives are no longer our own. We are ruled by bureaucracy and 'jobsworth' nonsense. My youngest son travels a lot, and has dreadful problems.
DeleteIt's the cash. As a solicitor I was constantly being reminded of the relatively simple ways that criminals can clean up dirty money - small sums at a time in lots of places. In practice we were prevented from taking cash over certain amounts so as not to facilitate money laundering. (F)
DeletePoint taken Tigger, but as a long-standing and well-known local client it just seemed a little strange when they have dealt with my property transactions over many years in much larger amounts that they should suddenly doubt who I am?
DeleteThis reminds me of when I tried to obtain money + interest from a building society account (in the UK) which had been opened in trust for me about 50yrs earlier with money left by my grandmother's brother.
ReplyDeleteThe trustee, an uncle, had forgotten all about it, and I'd never heard of it at all. A legacy!!!
Eventually uncle gave me an ancient passbook, which I presented at the local branch. The manager was called. The book was sent away to be verified. Some weeks later I received my money. It came to about £23!
Bureaucracy always scares me.
ReplyDeleteAt least you get the money!! Kalo fagito they say here. Have fun 'eating' it
ReplyDeleteI asked at the post office to change a £5 bag of five pence coins I had accumulated out of loose change. This was never a problem at a nearer post office which has now closed, but this other office refused. They said it was because of money laundering rules. I could however open a post office account and pay it in. A £5 bag of coins for goodness' sake!
ReplyDeleteBureaucracy can be bad enough here but wow, I am so impressed by French bureaucracy, only perhaps surpassed by India. Ah, but Indian bureaucracy can be circumnavigated navigated with a small bank note. Have you tried slipping in a small amount of Euro to your bankbook?
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine is trying to close the UK bank account of her father who died in March in France , at the moment they are refusing to accept the French death certificate and keep asking for something that does not exist . My friend is getting very frustrated and upset by the attitude of the customer service who seem to be going out of their way to be difficult .
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that all this cumbersome bureaucracy comes from the ever-growing fraud that seems to have found its way into almost everyone’s lives thru technology. We have become a world of “trust no one”, and, unfortunately, that is too true.
ReplyDeleteI did think that, with all the modern technology that we now have, life would be easier, but it seems to be so much more complicated !!! Every time something goes wrong or there’s a query about something, it takes days to sort out ..... that’s if you can ever get someone to talk to ! XXXX
ReplyDeleteFrance invented the word didn't they? I suppose they have to live up to it.
ReplyDelete