Being Dutch I went for Ing direct, worked fine as a bank for your private activities. But once you establish a business, want to buy properties, do some exports and imports with according bank-transfers you need more than a "free" credit-card.
Since my French wife already had a BNP-account and I never heard her complaining I set up an appointment with the local BNP bank-manager. After a surprisingly thorough discussing of my needs, future plans etc. he made me an offer for the total package. In the end I pay more then I would if I'd chosen the cheapest banks for each service, but the no-hassle / convenience factor is also very important to me. Didn't choose them for the insurance part though, for that they act as some kind of broker for different 3rd party companies. They couldn't make a competitive offer so that part went entirely to GMF. Never had any problems and a very good customer service and follow-up.
But much will also depend on your local bank manager and his team. Most of them do have some freedom in adapting the standard customer service to local or even personal needs.
When I first came to France I opened an account at LCL and transferred money from the UK to cover initial expenses and pay the removals men. Their cheque bounced - LCL had received my money the day it was transferred, 10 days previously; after a frantic search I was informed that the money was somewhere in Paris , not in my account....
I found them inept and apart from one manager, unpleasant. When she left the branch I moved over to CM. The new manager was a Mlle Villain (!) btw....
I opened the "100% online" account with LCL.
After not hearing anything for a while, I phoned. Ah oui M Hayes, tout va bien, We've printed out the forms and posted them to the internet account office!!
My son is with LCL in Bordeaux Victoire branch and has been very happy. They are very accommodating for student loans.
The LCL branch nearest to us is a nightmare!!! We stick to la Poste for our main accounts although I do have CA account from when we first came here but use it about twice a year to pay the standing order for my car insurance. Why? because although both la Poste and CA are in our village 2 k away the post office actually opens when I am not working ie mondays and every afternoon and .......... you get the picture. La poste are a litle slower at processing cheques but cheaper, more friendly and most importantly open at times that suit me. The most frustrating aspect of CA for me is that when I want to use the bank in the afternoon the staff are in the bank but you can't see them as the guichet is not open. You have to pay in automatically outside, if you have a card, which not every one has while the staff gaze at you from their offices!!! Grrr.
We changed from BNP Paribas to ING Direct, on line only, suits us and it is free !
John
Me too, I will let you all know! Thanks again folks!
Pleasure Lynn, hope you have the same luck and resolve as us.
I have just had recourse again to call on the services of our CA English speaking telephone hotline. Brilliant!
Our mainstay bank is based in Agde ( Herault ) and their services are excellent, their fee structure transparent and published. However, we also use the online facility and especially the Nîmes based telephonic department. The service is faultless, the staff are so helpful and they always advise the most efficient methods and cost effective avenues on any transaction, product etc.
We cannot sing their praises enough. I believe there is such a department in every regional locality. Whether any Survive France Network member is fluent in French or not this service is efficient, reassuring and in our experience very much on the ball.
Crédit Agricole du LANGUEDOC
CA KeyFinance / CA Direct
408 chemin du Mas de Cheylon
30935 Nimes cedex 9
SAVINGS ACCOUNT UP TO 8%
www.ca-direct.com
tel 00 33 (0) 466 703 096
fax 00 33 (0) 466 703 071
Yes, that is our problem. The area. But I will call and see if they have a reccomendation, perhaps moving from our branch. Thank you!
To use the service you need to have an account with CA Normandie, yours is perhaps CA Languedoc-Roussillon? and that might be why they said no?
They are effectively different companies.
contact details below:
15 esplanade Brillaud-de-Laujardiere, 14050, CAEN Cedex
Tel: 0033 (0)2 31 55 67 89 Fax: 0033 (0)2 31 55 63 99
www.britline.com e-mail: britline@ca-normandie.fr
And I love Peyriac too.
Jane, I LOVE Peyriac Minervois! I contacted the "Britline" and was told they could not help us. Maybe I will give it another shot. Do you have a number where I can contact them? Maybe I will get a different answer this time.
I am with Credit Agricole Normandie, Britline is just the english speaking team based in Caen that offer telephone and email contact,and the customer service offered is excellent.
I don't ever remember being asked what my nationality was, as a criteria of qualifying for the account.
I suspect that the name 'britline' is just a marketing tool
My house is in Peyriac Minervois (not far from Olonzac) but I don't need a local branch. ATMs and internet banking are sufficient for my needs, which admittedly are not complex
.
We are with CA and have had no REAL issues, but the English speaking manager has left and our French via telephone is awful. We are US and not Brit, so we do not qualify for the Brit line. Anyone know how to line up an English speaker to help us? Our account is with the Olonzac branch in Herault.
Thank you for all your replies.....
La Poste is out as v limited for business accounts.
Husband guffawed when I suggested CA - for all the reasons given above. The Britline sounds like a good service but out for us as husband is (very) French!
CIC are owned by CM (news to me too).
ING are owned by Barclays.....
Am looking into the others - need a Bordeaux branch. SG, BP, HSBC etc.
Many thanks for all the input!
I've found my local branch of Credit Agricole very helpful, not just for banking but also offering competitive insurance devis. I move money a couple of times a year from my UK bank to CA in amounts of £5000+ as it sosts nothing in commission using Currency Direct.
Banque Populaire for my epargne, business and mortgage, Banque Postale for day to day and Livret (as BP branch is miles away)
Credit Agricole accounts closed for
1. Passing on confidential details about my home that I was currently bidding for to one of their employees who secretly tried to out bid me at the last minute.
Big thank you to the Greffe at the Tribunal de Castres for discovering this
2. As said by Jacqui Clegg-Hullah they can be indiscreet...... Small business manager told my mother in law all about my confidential business matters over coffee one day and then asked her if she should give me business loan. The MIL, who hates me, told the business manager that I was a disrespectful English trying to steal her son and Credit Agricole should not help if I ever asked as I am taking her boy away.
Big thank you to the friend who was sitting at the table next to them!
Dear Veronique
Your reply explains so much I have not been able to understand:) I am with CA in Paris, because I had that bank in Nice, and they couldn't have been nicer, so when I moved north, it was the obvious choice. But, in Paris it has not been the same experience as in the south, but after reading your reply, I understand why it takes two to three calls or emails to get money transfered; why they always want to talk to me about new products, etc. I have been advised to change to BNP or HSBC, but I don't know which is the better:)
I am with Credit Agricole Normandie (aka Britrline) and have been since before I bought my house almost 5 years ago.
I tried to engage with Barclays, but failed completely, so unresponsive, even though there was a big currency transfer in the offing.
I rarely have to use the helpline, maybe 3 or 4 times during my sojourn with them, including once for a forced payment of taxe fonciere, when despite chasing the mairie several times, I had not received a bill and they were most helpful, explaining the French system around such things.
Their online service is good too.
And they accept my english cheques to credit my account when my regular transfers are not quite enough to meet my regular outgoings.
I think they are a great bank and would recommend them without reservation.
HSBC are good if you are moving money around between UK-GBP and FR-€uro. You can do it online, same day and at a rate which was better than I was being offerred from Moneycorp and no commission. You can get english speakers if you need.
But yes, insane admin (I just had to provide identity and proof of address paperwork again, after 30years as an HSBC customer 4 years in France, to someone who was actually sitting in my house), outrageous charges to cover their admin failures. Hey ho.