How hard can it be...

…to get an appointment with your bank manager at an HSBC Premier branch.

Now the HSBC Premier account is used by many expats as they (in theory) speak English. The branch I talk about is in Centro.

1^st email sent to 3 contacts at the Branch; I ask to have an appointment so I can be included in the bank account of my husband now that I have my permanent Visa and docs sorted. No answer.

2d email: asking that someone acknowledge my email. My email is forwarded to another person who came back to me saying she needs all the docs (my passport etc… to include me in the account)

3^rd Email: I have the docs when can I come to show them to you and sign whatever needs to be signed?

Asnwer; I am being dumped to a 5^th guy, saying again that they need my passport and docs proving I am resident here.

4^th email: Yes I know you need these docs, I have them, when can I come to sort this out?

No answer.

5^th email (5 peoples cc-ed by now): Can I get an answer? (I start to be pissed off by then!)

Answer: for inclusion into my husband account I need  to provide my passport etc…

6^th email: (I am starting to lose my sense of humour at this stage): I (f*ck*ng!!!) have the docs, when can I come?????????? I enclose photos of all docs to prove I have all in order.

Answer: we cannot use picture we need to see the real docs.

7^th email: that’s why I am asking for an appointment!! (GHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!)

8^th email: So???????????? Any answer?

Answer: we need to see the docs.

9^th email: ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Tempted to send abusive email). I know I need to show you the docs, can I come next Friday lunch time

Answer: come Friday lunch time you will meet XYZ.

Moral of the story: don’t ever try to get an appointment, just turn up and make their life hell until you get what you want!

How hard can it be … to do a bill payment online using your HSBC website.

Our container is about to arrive in Brazil. Hurray! Now we just need to get through custom clearance (twice for some reason! Once at Santos where the boat arrive, then again in Rio. Oh dear we will never see our stuff ever again!!! ).

Anyhow, the company dealing with Custom is called FINK. They send us a bill we need to pay for their service. It is expensive. I decide to do the payment online.

I manage successfully to log into our account. The website has so many threads and links it is very confusing to know where to go. After a while I manage to find a link that seems to be for financial transfers. The only issue is that I cannot input the bank details of FINK.  I can only key a bar code! I don’t have one in the bill.

I phone HSBC Premier Branch in Centro. 1^st person: does not speak English (or Spanish, or French! How the hell did she manage to get this particular job then? This branch in Centro has MANY expats banking there!). I get passed to someone who “speak English”. He does not understand anything. I mix English with some Portuguese. After a long time navigating through the website he tells me that it is not possible to do a payment or transfer without the “bar code”. It is impossible to do a transfer using bank details only! What the hell?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I have to send an email to FINK asking for a “bar code” to do the payment. They finally send me one.

Now if someone can tell me how I can pay my rent online without a bar code, please send me urgently an email!

After 8 months in Rio I feel like I seriously need “Anger Management Classes”…

On the plus side there may be a way to get a work permit for me… all thanks to “Jeitinnho”. Let's see! 

Meanwhile we will be off kayaking in Botafogo Bay this Saturday… beats a raining cold run round Tesco in grid locked London any time J