Ing direct fr nightmare

Hi Everyone,

I am coming to you for some words of advice and inspiration.

So about 11 weeks I started the task of opening an account in France. I got a job, bought a house (that’s another story), got a phone contract, (again another story), and settled on ING Direct.

After the constant demand for some document or another I got to the stage where they opened my account. I even had an online log in and rib. All I had to do was make a transfer of at least €300 to activate the account.

Easy Right?

Well, No. I transferred £1000 from my UK Nationwide account, and my new job even paid my first salary into it. I can see it now, sitting in my online banking page. However, I can not access it.

So, I was told they sent my card out on 12th Jan. It never came. So I phoned, and they said they will resend it. Again, it never arrived.

So tonight, 21st Feb, we phoned again, and I’m told due to Brexit, they are unable to allow me to have an account. (Which was set up, with my funds already in).

WHAT? Did you read that right? YES!!!

I can see my account, with my salary, and funds sitting in there. A rib that I have given to my employer, also used to apply for my social security number, and my active online portal. But I actually don’t have an account.

Go figure.

Ing Direct France have a facebook page. If you contact them there… they will surely respond…or risk ridicule.

I’ve already been on their ‘community’ page, twitter and customer services.

To be honest, I feel like I am just wasting more time trying to make sense of it, or trying to get them to make sense of it.

It’s put a little downer on my first few months in France. Maybe, just because it is so much more difficult to organise things like this compared to any other country I have lived in.

Not sure why you did not simply use a bank close to where you live… so you can visit the branch with any queries…

Anyway… why not go into a local bank now… explain your problems and ask their help… what have you got to lose…and, as they will gain your custom, they might be prepared to get involved against Ing.

Got to be worth a try.

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I have started speaking to HSBC as there is a branch here in Tourcoing, so fingers crossed.

It’s meant to be easy to change Banks… as the Banks talk directly with one another… fingers crossed, as you say… :relaxed:

credit agricole are also being “Bleeps” round here for brexit, they gave us a mortgage we signed the 10 day documents anre turned them and waitied and waited and waited… nothing.

Eventually we demanded to know and they said it was on hold due to brexit and then the week after still on hold so we cancelled everything, (at this stage it was 2 months past us signing of the mortgage the house sellers were getting funny as we had little choice. Luckily banque populaire we went in, applied, 5 days later it was agreed, 11 days after that the money was in our account and we signed. CA are still waiting on brexit…

Not sure if ing is same style as CA but my advice go to banque populaire open an account and they wil transfer your money from ING and demand the account be closed for you.

It’s crazy, Brexit or no Brexit, and what ever people’s opinions are… life and business still goes on. Makes no sense at all. I am in the process of going with HSBC. Decided I will go to the biggest most international bank I can find.

Due to myself having a fixed term contract at the moment, and wasn’t confident of getting a mortgage in France, we just went for it and forked out the whole lot. Def couldn’t do that in London.

No bank should be using Brexit as an excuse. Brexit hasn’t happened yet and as you say after bidet life will go on. Personally I’d go for a local bank rather than an international one but as long as you’ve got a local branch you should be fine.

I prefer the smaller more approachable French banks. heard too many issues with HSBC in France.

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My bank is regional to Brittany…I’ve heard of others having issues and calling it but personally I would much rather be able to call in to my local branch than wait for a response from a faceless probably not even in the same country call centre…Indeed my last correspondence from my bank was to do with auto certification…I didn’t want to make any mistakes so I requested a rendezvous…She was lovely…said that the bank had said countless times that the auto certification needs to be sent out in English format as it’s only English speakers it ever gets sent out to…do they listen…??? No…I love that my chosen bank is local regional and personally contactable by either email or app…

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I’d also recommend HSBC - love their ‘Global View’ service - all accounts, regardless of country, in one place on screen. Never had a bad experience with them - really nice people in their call centres.

I’ve possibly been into a bank branch 3 times in the last 30 years - I can’t think why I’d need to really. Still - everyone to their own - banking is a very personal thing :-:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: My MIL went into meltdown when the small NatWest in her local town closed down - end of the world as we know it!

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Before internet banking and telephone banking I had to pop into the bank every week to pay in cheques etc. Even now we have to go in at least once a week luckily they have the machines you can pay cheques and cash into now so dont have to limit ourselves t the bank being open.

I like the fact that I can go in and talk with someone face-to-face. I use the machines to take money out etc… but, if I have a query… on a financial subject… I can talk it through… suits me just fine. :relaxed: but we are all different… so I’m not knocking those who bank “from afar” or whatever…

I’ve been with HSBC in France for over fourteen years and in that time have seen most of their local branches close. Their nearest branch is now over 50kms away and the cashiers there merely operate an ATM, which I could just as well do myself. Their call centre is a paid for line. For all these reasons I was thinking of switching to an online bank and ING, with whom I have had a modest savings account for yonks, was my first choice. Now, after what Tiernan says, I’m having second thoughts.

I have an account with CA because all my standing orders pensions etc; are paid into it. I don’t like their bank charges or their ‘local service’.
However I have an online account with Boursorama (4 years), great service, no charges, good security, so I transfer each month the balance from CA ! :smiley:

Just a question… Is there any reason that the standing orders etc cannot be paid into the online bank?

Yes David, the big reason is I can’t be bothered contacting all the English organisations to do the changeover. It’s a joint account as well so my ‘ex’ would have to be chivvied to act too !
Much easier, and less stressful my way !

I can emphasise with that.

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