Groan

OK, so I spoke too soon in my wild self-congratulatory posting on opening an HSBC account. I spent a couple hours online and on the phone last night trying to wire funds back to my account in the US, and not only failed majestically but also unleashed the first appearance of the epic Scudder temper on the poor folks of the Emirates. First off, the website was completely convoluted and it took a better part of an hour simply to register for online banking. Then it was really difficult to figure out how to wire money online (which was really the entire point of starting the account anyway). So, I did the responsible thing, and decidedly anti-male thing, and called for help. The woman in the call center told me that first we had to figure out what my transfer "limit" was - and at that point I knew it was going to be a bumpy night. According to her my transfer limt - that is, the amount of MY money that I could transfer was 3680 dirhams. Now, if you factor in that the official set exchange rate between dirhams to dollars is 3.67, you can see where this is headed. Essentially,I am not allowed to wire more than $1000. Of course, I can up the limit, but it is not a change that can be made at the HSBC website itself. Wait for it . . . you have to run off a form, fill it out, and then take it to the bank (yes, the bank that is an hour away) to make the change. Beyond the fact that this requires yet another trip downtown, it also makes you wonder how truly secure the website is if they include that many hoops to jump through. What I will probably end up doing, in addition to filling out the form and taking it to the main branch, is just go ahead and have someone there at the bank wire the money while I am sitting there (and doubtless refusing to move until it is completed - and those who have witnessed my infamous temper are probably cringing at this moment). All of this, of course, sort of defeats the purpose of "internet banking" in the first place. Groan. It would actually be easier to just have Zayed cut me a check, cash it at their local bank branch, and take the bloody money to Western Union. Opening a bank account, especially in a multi-national bank, was supposed to make life easier, and also give me more financial roots if I decide to stay here. The thought of all the work I did to set up direct deposit, so that I can in turn drive to the bank to take the money out, just makes my head hurt.