I have two bills I need to have automatically debited from my account. It is because I started out here with another bank and found out that it is not the best one for local banking....it was a bank that caters to international customers...and that is what we were as we bought our apartment while still living in the US.
It turns out that it is a VERY inconvenient bank.....and the nearest actual branch is an hour away...and we have several banks at our fingeI nertips right here in town.
SO, I finally switched to the Postale. The Italian Post Office is also a bank...and a bill pay center....and a tax pay center...it is a very busy place. But if you have an account with them, you can be assured that wherever you go in Italy, there will be a freaking Postale.
I closed the other and opened this. Then, naturally, the bills were not getting paid automatically, so I waited for the email bills. The gas came first and I went to the offices, which are nearby, and they cordially took the new information and I went on my way. Only to find out that a mistake had been made and I had to go back because my bill was not paid....errrrrrrrrrrrrrr….AGAIN, with the same information...Voila! It worked the second time.
The other utilities do not have offices nearby. I have to have the account debited through the Postale. There is one...small...problem.
The man in charge of "Customer Service' is an asshole. Hahahaha. Yes. He is. He really is.
He apparently does not like "Stranieri" *foreigners. There are lots of Brits here, some Germans, people from Denmark, Scotland, Norway....He does NOT like foreigners.
I have enough command of the language now to do this, to get this done. He is...….remote. Prego, Signora.....yeah,..sure. So, I sit down, I have my form for the automatic debit, the form HE printed out to prove I have a Postale account, and my three ID cards that I have with me all the time.
"Where is your Codice Fiscale?"..That is like a Social Security number. >>MY Codice Fiscale? It's on my Permesso, it's on my SSN,....I HAVE an account here!
"I need your Codice Fiscale"...he "HAS" to make a copy of it...well, guess what? To open my account he had a copy of it, and my passport, and my Permesso...it's all there,..somewhere...in the freaking computer...….My husband trekked back home to bring back my Codice.
My husband returned with my Codice and this ASSHOLE looked at him...like...what? Do I want that? AHHHHHHH....you ASKED for it...…..he went to get it...here it is. No. No. I need documents. I need your passport. OH, hell , you don't ...I have a BANK ACCOUNT HERE!!!!
Oh...you know what? The computer is down. Gosh...sorry....I can't finish this...Where is the woman who speaks Italian? (He means my instructor) "She is not available today. But I speak enough to do this"......Oh, well....computer down....so sorry.
I went back today hoping the younger guy who is not foreigner phobic would be there but he was not. I will poke my head in again tomorrow.
I love living here but even Paradise has its drawbacks now and then. **Sigh***
It turns out that it is a VERY inconvenient bank.....and the nearest actual branch is an hour away...and we have several banks at our fingeI nertips right here in town.
SO, I finally switched to the Postale. The Italian Post Office is also a bank...and a bill pay center....and a tax pay center...it is a very busy place. But if you have an account with them, you can be assured that wherever you go in Italy, there will be a freaking Postale.
I closed the other and opened this. Then, naturally, the bills were not getting paid automatically, so I waited for the email bills. The gas came first and I went to the offices, which are nearby, and they cordially took the new information and I went on my way. Only to find out that a mistake had been made and I had to go back because my bill was not paid....errrrrrrrrrrrrrr….AGAIN, with the same information...Voila! It worked the second time.
The other utilities do not have offices nearby. I have to have the account debited through the Postale. There is one...small...problem.
The man in charge of "Customer Service' is an asshole. Hahahaha. Yes. He is. He really is.
He apparently does not like "Stranieri" *foreigners. There are lots of Brits here, some Germans, people from Denmark, Scotland, Norway....He does NOT like foreigners.
I have enough command of the language now to do this, to get this done. He is...….remote. Prego, Signora.....yeah,..sure. So, I sit down, I have my form for the automatic debit, the form HE printed out to prove I have a Postale account, and my three ID cards that I have with me all the time.
"Where is your Codice Fiscale?"..That is like a Social Security number. >>MY Codice Fiscale? It's on my Permesso, it's on my SSN,....I HAVE an account here!
"I need your Codice Fiscale"...he "HAS" to make a copy of it...well, guess what? To open my account he had a copy of it, and my passport, and my Permesso...it's all there,..somewhere...in the freaking computer...….My husband trekked back home to bring back my Codice.
My husband returned with my Codice and this ASSHOLE looked at him...like...what? Do I want that? AHHHHHHH....you ASKED for it...…..he went to get it...here it is. No. No. I need documents. I need your passport. OH, hell , you don't ...I have a BANK ACCOUNT HERE!!!!
Oh...you know what? The computer is down. Gosh...sorry....I can't finish this...Where is the woman who speaks Italian? (He means my instructor) "She is not available today. But I speak enough to do this"......Oh, well....computer down....so sorry.
I went back today hoping the younger guy who is not foreigner phobic would be there but he was not. I will poke my head in again tomorrow.
I love living here but even Paradise has its drawbacks now and then. **Sigh***
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