The Bank

The first days I was in Italy I was withdrawing money from my home account and that was enough to cover all the expenses.

But a few days ago, it was time to pay the apartment rent. So I grabbed my landlord's account number and went to the nearest bank. 

When I got there I asked the good looking young man if he could speak English and he started to act all nervous and didn't really know what to say. I calmed him down by saying I just wanted to make a deposit.

                                         

He asked me if I was a student and when I confirmed it he told me maybe it would be better to open a new account in that bank. I told him I didn't think it was necessary because as Portugal is part of the EU I didn't even have to pay fees to withdraw money from my account.

But then he told me I would have to pay a fee of 5€ just to deposit the money if I didn't have an account in that bank, but if I did I would only have to pay 1€... Apart from the fact that I was shocked for having to pay for a deposit (this never happens in Portugal) he told me I wouldn't have to pay any fees to open the account so I agreed to do it.

And that's when the Italian bureaucracy arrived to "make it all very simple". He asked me for my ID and I gave it to him. Then he started typing on his computer and making those sounds of someone who is working very hard to solve my problem... After a while he told me he need another official document of mine. I asked him why telling him that was an official EU document so I couldn't see the problem. And that's when he told me he actually needed 2 official documents! By mear coincidence I had brought my passport to Italy and so I quickly picked up my bike and raced home and back with the passport (the bank was about to close so I had to hurry up). After waiting a bit for the other people that meanwhile arrived to be answered I gave him the document and he went back to typing on his computer.

(Did I mention it took me about 10min to find the correct way of opening the electronic doors to the bank? I guess no burglar will even be able to go IN that place, might as well leave it!)

He finally says there was a problem... That I had already been registered in some other office of the same bank. I explained him I had to pay for the university's insurance in that bank and that was the reason for it. 

And so after about 1 and a half our he said everything was ok and presented me the receipt that I had to pay. Guess what was written on it? That I had to pay for the god dam 5€!! So I asked him "what about all the talk of opening a new account??" And he answered: "oh we can make an appointment for that! Maybe tomorrow?". 

                                         

Oh my god! How ridiculous was it to make me run home and get all the stupid documents if he was only going to open the new account the next day and I still had to pay for the fee anyway??

Of course I had to go back there the next day and loose another hour of my precious time to solve the problem! But that was not enough! He still managed to find another problem to make me go there even another day and sign the same paper 4times to correct an error on the spelling of my last name! (Luckily he was good looking and I didn't really mind visiting him more often...)

TII (This Is Italy!)