A couple of weeks ago, I made my monthly BS Bank visit to pay some bills and wire more than half of my salary home. Were the latter not a possibility, I wouldn't be here. While teaching English in Korea isn't going to bring in the riches, it pays off enough student debt that I can justify still being here when I'm knee deep in yet another I Hate Korea week.
I usually deal with the same teller at BS Bank, and he always asks for the same information: passport, bank book, and details of the account I'm wiring money to. Just in case he happens to fall into a barrel of BS that day, I always make sure to have further proof of my identity, statements from previous transactions, and every single pay stub that my current job has ever given me. He doesn't really need any of this stuff to wire my money home and had never asked before, but BS happens.
On this day, he looked over my account information on my screen and then suspiciously back at me. "You send money home every month." It wasn't clear whether he was stating a fact or inquiring, so I responded as if it were a question. "Yes. That's sort of the point." I've never been good with stupid questions. Or really obvious statements. Which one was it?
Overwhelmed by my charm, the teller tried to tell me that he was going to need to see pay stubs. I handed him the stack of them before he could come up with the words. He eyed them suspiciously, looked back at the screen, and glared at me. "Do you have anything else?", he asked. Deja vu! "Why would I need something else? Pay stub. Deposit. You might notice that the amounts match", I sneered. He wasn't satisfied. "You're going to need.... a certificate.... from work", he told me. Because apparently having official pay slips from the company which not only matches the one on your VISA, but also conveniently coincides with the only deposits ever made into your bank account, isn't quite proof enough that you're not trying to wire drug money out of the country.
"There wasn't a problem here in February, March, or April", I stated. Because I understand that statements are not questions. "Every month. You need... certificate. Yes". Was he asking me a question again? "Yeah... no. That's total BS", I told the teller. The teller looked confused. I wasn't done. "See, I'm just going to find a bank with less discriminatory policies. Close my account. Now." So, he did.
As it turns out, there was no hissy fit to be had this time. Largely because I was so sleepy, but I'd like to think that I've matured enough to realize that there is little use in wasting energy fighting battles that you can't win. Also, I've been sober for what seems like a ridiculously long time. Is it June yet? I said little more than what needed to be said and I was out of there. It was nap time.
My reward for refusing to tolerate BS was to drag my ass across the street with $2,500 in my purse. I don't love doing that nearly as much as I thought I would, so I dumped it all off at the Korea Exchange Bank. KEB opened my account and wired my money home in one sitting, all without asking a single stupid question.
Before anybody wonders why I'm toolishly abbreviating "Busan" and "Pusan" as BS and PS, know that it's not because I think I'm being clever, but that it's what the company would want:
That the brain trust at Pusan Bank think that the logical step after changing from a P to a B is to introduce a BS logo, is terribly amusing. If I'm honest, I might be willing to admit that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for how this logo came to be, and that I only assume that this is yet another glaring example of this institution's retardation because my past relations with the company have been sour and I hate them a whole bunch. And if I'm super lucky, somebody really boring will share this really boring explanation with us in the comments section of this post. But mostly, I'm just going to enjoy the chuckle that I get everytime that I walk by this sign.
35 comments:
You are Korea's version of the loud black woman making a scene somewhere. You know back home when she would make a scene and everybody around would look at each other to verify how much of a jackass she's being.....that's you. Except you are even more ignorant because you expect everybody to speak perfect English. I pity you. I really wish people screened more effectively before letting people come to Korea. You are an idiot and make all foreigners look bad. The way you is not the way things are done here. Did you ever make the connection that the reason you get treated so poorly is because of the way you treat people? Treating somebody the way you do in Korea has the opposite effect that it does back home. Also, you aren't funny...at all.
So, I started reading: "You are Korea's version of the loud black woman" ... aaaand, that's where I stopped.
Why stop there? Feel free to come to your own conclusions.
Wow... you got a troll and porn span on this post before I got a chance to comment.
Spot on, dear. That "certificate" nonsense is BS (and thankfully we have a KEB as an alternate).
I will have to come harass you in Busan this summer. It seems appropriate and fun.
Wow, I use BS bank and wire home half my paycheck home each month with no problem at all. Maybe the problem isn't the bank...like the first guy said...
Diana - Trolls and spam have been my new Fratboys since I stopped boozing.
Derek - I was inclined not to respond to a person who would willingly align themselves with somebody who started out a post with racist stereotype, but seeing as you took the effort to log in and link us to your blog, here you go:
I see that you've been in Busan since March? Lovely isn't she? In that time, you've had no issue with BS Bank. Hence, you conclude from your experience that a foreigner who has issues with one of their fine institutions, must be doing something wrong. The foreigner is the problem.
I've been in Busan for just over a year and a half. Of the 50 some odd times that I've ventured to BS Bank, I've had just two issues. I conclude from this that while it's rare, BS Bank has the power to implement policies which I don't agree with. I quietly close my account and take my money elsewhere.
One of us is being an idiot. (hint below!)
Should I follow your line of "reasoning", then I must also assume any foreigner who doesn't receive their severance or gets fired in their 11th month, must have deserved it. Afterall, those things never happened to me, so clearly the individual is the problem. There couldn't possibly be any flaws in the system which allow for these things to happen to innocent, hardworking people.
Hint: This line of thinking is naive, at best.
Good for you even with the aggravation. Life is too short to have to waste it dealing with morons like Anonymous and those at your ex-bank. It is your right to do with your money whatever you see fit, especially when those making money off it, and your working for it, aren’t doing their jobs in keeping you, the “customer,” happy.
My bank (Woori) isn’t the best I’ve ever dealt with, but they are convenient and have always been able to wire my money back to my credit union in the states, albeit with a bit of a delay due to routing issues between two banks and a credit union.
My bank (Hana) never hassled me about sending money home and somehow got me a normal debit card as we know them in the States. I got to know my transfer woman so well that when I finally left Korea she gave me a glass Hana bank picture frame as a parting gift.
:)
Good for you for standing up for yourself, you Uppity Big White (but Really Black, Apparently) Barbie.
" I'd like to think that I've matured enough to realize that there is little use in wasting energy fighting battles that you can't win."
Nice. Maybe if you mature a little more, you'll realize that people are not necessarily racist or retarded just because they unevenly implement bank policy on occasion and are unable to explain that policy to you satisfactorily in your native language.
John, Amanda - Glad to hear that you guys haven't had any issues. It's certainly not all bad. I had a great bank teller near where I used to work. Whenever he saw me come in the door he'd flag me over, remember me by name, and make small talk for a while. When I had this issue with another branch last year, he explained to me that it was nothing to worry about - different branches, different rules. Sure, he might have just been using the opportunity to practice his English, but he was darling. Why doesn't he work in Seomyeon?
Barbie,
You cant fix stupid. You were right to take your money out. I regularly send ack large chunks of my slary, but I do it every quarter so that I can send back like W7million at a time. I have been going to the same KB bank the whole time. I always ask for a discount as it is a large sum. This last time they gave me a "discount" rate higher than the regular rate at the other 3 banks I checked later. I refuse to use them again and take out the entire paycheck on payday and deposit it elsewhere. Fuck them.
Never take shit from the Koreans. They will try to stick it to the foreigner every chance they get.
A while back, KEB started suddenly calling the depositing bank to verify my pay before making currency transactions, but they all do it every month, so I can only assume it's some new policy. The randomness of tellers using whatever rules they choose is grounds for changing banks, though, just to avoid the annoyance.
As far as you being the "loud, black woman making a scene", clearly this guy has never been to Itaewon and seen the "loud, white guy making a scene" pretty much in any business establishment. Asshaterry is not race or gender exclusive, as he not-so-succinctly proves. Not to mention that you seem to have had a quiet discussion, not a screaming match. Whatever.
If you hate Korea, please leave, don't just moan. BS is not the first company to undergo a name change or self righteous customers.
You seem very humble, but have you tried going into the bank with a little understanding? A lot of Koreans are worried about the economy and watching a foreigner send half of their wage each month out of the country is a little depressing. Also last year, due to foreigners having illegal jobs, rules were put in place to check how much money was wired out of Korea.
You are right, the reason you are here is money, and the rate of unemployment in America is high. And BS is here because it has not needed a govt bail out.
Good luck with the rest of your time here. I hope it is short.
I have been in Korea 8 years. My main account is with Daegu Bank. My savings accounts. In 8 years I have had absolutely no problems with banks.
1. Under Korean law you are supposedly only allowed to send home 75% of your salary. How is the guy to check this without proper paperwork.
2. Every 6 months I have to renew a term deposit. Everytime I have to produce my Alien card. It is not a big deal. Unless they check that your ID is still valid how do they know that you are entitled to conclude this transaction. Each renewal is a new contract and requires new paperwork. No problem.
In all my time in Korea I have met hundreds of xenophobes - every last one of them American.
If you don't like Korea - go home and join the welfare line!
Well said Anon - not one Korean Bank has required a government handout. I would rather have my cash in Korea than in Citibank etc
"This last time they gave me a "discount" rate higher than the regular rate at the other 3 banks I checked later...Never take shit from the Koreans. They will try to stick it to the foreigner every chance they get"
Here's an idea: Shop around for the best rate BEFORE making your transaction.
Another case of Blame-the-Koreans-for-my-own-stupidity... Hmmm, I wonder why those types frequent this blog....
||Well said Anon - not one Korean Bank has required a government handout. I would rather have my cash in Korea than in Citibank etc||
Well, Korean banks got their hand outs back during the Asian financial crisis and during the credit card crisis of 2002-2003. Korean banks belly up for their handouts too. To argue otherwise is to be 100% ignorant of recent Korean history. Really, I'm dumbfounded you could even make such a mindless claim in light of recent Korean financial history.
Given the won has slid off the table in terms of value in the last year, you might have no choice in keeping your money in a Korean bank. I'm glad you've found a justification. Yep, just keep tellin' yourself that.
||A lot of Koreans are worried about the economy and watching a foreigner send half of their wage each month out of the country is a little depressing.||
By this brilliant bit of logic a lot of North Americans should be worried about walking into Best Buy and handing over money for Samsung products and watching their money go to Korea! Oh dear. Where would Korea be if we copped THAT attitude? Sorry, you'd all be back to digging through American military base trash piles to find food scraps to make boodae chijae.
Here's a hint: the money they send out doesn't actually leave. I don't send Korean won home. I really don't. What I do is I trade my Korean won to someone with Canadian dollars. The person with the Canadian dollars wants Korean won because **they actually want to buy Korean goods.**
If Korean bankers don't grasp a very basic aspect like a nation's capital account balance, then this is evidence why maybe you shouldn't be so smug about the safety of your money in Korean banks.
I think what anon is failing to grasp about Barb's complaint is her banker is just making up stuff. Rules say if you have a valid visa and can prove how much money you've made, you can transfer that money out. Barb did this. She's done it in the past. Suddenly this pencil neck is pulling out of his ass a rule that doesn't exist. Why? Because she's a foreigner? Would they do it to a 55 year old Korean man sending funds to his kid enrolled in an American university or his wife ?
Just because he never asked you for a document before doesn't mean the policy changed arbitrarily; it simply means he never asked you.
Just because you assumed he would ask for pay stubs does not mean he was actually going to ask for a pay stub or that bank policy deems a pay stub to be the required proof of income. He may have been about to ask for a jaejikjeungmyeongseo or some other official proof of employment before you clairvoyantly shoved a bunch of papers at him. Do you know what the bank's policy is, or do you just think you do? And if you don't actually know what the policy is, how can you fault him for breaking it or making it up as he goes?
You usually dealt with the same guy, and he never had a problem before. Did he just suddenly become racist and discriminatory one day, when he never had been before? Were you a foreigner on your previous visits, as I suspect, or were you a Korean who happened to morph into a despicable foreigner before your final, ill-fated visit to a racist bank?
IMO, you understand less than you think you do, and the failure of reality to match your assumptions is the source of your problem here. Try to learn some patience, or just go live somewhere that makes more sense to you.
Anon, you're not quite getting it. Do you know banking policy or banking law has changed? That other ESL teachers have experienced over the years similar arbitrary rule making at their banks leads Barb to believe the case is similar. It's perfectly reasonable. You could prove her and me wrong by posting a link to such a policy change in the last month. Take your time.
I guess if Koreans in the USA or Canada faced similar challenges and biases your advice would be for them to simply leave the country? No. Koreans might actually complain if they faced discrimination in North America. We don't have that same privilege in Korea? Gimme a break.
In regards to the notion that no Korean bank has required a bail out because of the financial crisis:
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200903/200903160014.html
||Woori Bank has already applied for W2 trillion from the public fund established by the Bank of Korea for reinforcing bank capital. Since the 1997 crisis, Woori Bank has already on two occasions received a total of W7.9 trillion of public rescue funds. "No bank in the world gets public bailout funds three times," a financial industry insider said. "It just means that the government has failed to manage Woori Bank for the last 10 years."
The banking industry says the reason the government is refusing to haul up executives for mismanagement is because it will be ultimately held responsible for the Woori Bank blunder. ||
That's ummm kind of the second largest bank in Korea. Yep. Them Korean banks are sound as a pound.
Keano, it's pretty easy to say Korean banks haven't asked for bail out funds if you're simply ignorant of current headlines.
No, Karl, I'm afraid you are the one not getting it. I didn't say the law or the policy had changed. I said that just because he asked for some document does not mean it changed, only that the policy may have always been in place but not enforced (Which jibes with my own experience dealing with Korean banks (and other bureaucracies for that matter)) for the past several years). Who said the policy changed?
Barbie's says the required document he asked for was "BS", which assumes she knows the actual policy. OK then, you tell me exactly what document is required according to the bank's policy and whether Barbie was correct to call him "discriminatory" for requesting something other than what she gave him. Take your time.
"I guess if Koreans in the USA or Canada faced similar challenges and biases your advice would be for them to simply leave the country?"
Again, big swing and a miss. No, Karl, I'm questioning whether there is bias at work here at all. If I'm understanding her rant correctly, this was the same guy she always dealt with and never had a problem with before. If it were bias, I would have expected a problem with him sooner, but the fact that there was none until then leads me to believe that it is something else. You are the ones jumping to the conclusions here. Show me how his actions on that one day are evidence of bias when he never hassled the hapless foreigner before. Take your time.
And I never say don't complain, as long as your complaints are valid. Calling someone a liar when you really don't know the actual policy doesn't qualify as a valid complaint in my book. Get your facts straight before calling people out. He may have been lax at enforcing bank policy, but calling them bigots and retards is another can of worms.
Keano,
I have been able to transfer all of my funds back home last year after the government lifted the $10,000 (U.S.) yearly limit last summer with no problems at all. I did it in several trips and for never more than the $10,000 limit per transaction that requires no documentation, and they never did ask me a single question (Woori), but they already knew that my boss (hagwon owner) opened the account and was putting money into it monthly anyway. Some banks do impose limits as low as only 60% being wired out of an account, but international banks usually do not--there are Woori banks in the U.S. and there are Citibanks here and there as well. However, some immigrants and all residents do need to report if they send over $100,000 to the national tax service.
You can find the Woori information in English at their website: http://pot.wooribank.com/pot/pot_index.jsp?target=http://pot.wooribank.com/pot/eng/pib/wepib023_01c.jsp&s=null
I welcome the various comments that have been made regarding my posting.
May I just say that after 8 years I have found Koreans very easy going. They are lax towards the law. Someguys toe the party line. Someguys don't. The fact that someone was able to send back 100% means that someone was not doing their job. If they send back 100% - how did they live?
Karl - you are going back a lot of years. I was talking about the present crisis. You mentioned Woori Bank. One! How many US banks have had handouts. Some have been virtually nationalised which is anathems to American thinking. Korean are doing well in comparison to the US, although the Won as you rightly say is F*&^d.
Korean bank officials are very polite and patient. I have been in KB bank at 6:00 pm concluding business. I could not do not at home or I guess in the US.
In Korea in the banks there is no bulletproof glass or security screens. I have seen old ladies carrying out 000's of bucks - not afraid to walk the street.
Try that in NY, Chicago, or Hicksville,Ky.
Korea is a good country.
I say again if you dont like - try the welfare line.
Keano,
I love that my Woori bank has an "armed" guard. He isn't very intimidating though, but he is very nice and always opens the door for customers.
Barbie,
Awesome post. It sure has garnered some attention. I always look forward to your unique take on life over here.
"To transfer, you have to bring your passport showing your visa in status and proof of your income (pay stubs)...I banked at woori and that is what I required."
We're not talking about Woori Bank. We're talking about Busan Bank. Different banks have different policies.
"Even if the BS bank suddenly revealed it had a new official policy requiring another piece of proof that is not actually required by Korean law then the rule is still arbitrary."
First, I'll repeat this one last time; please chew it slowly and try to grasp it: Just because he asked her for the document DOES NOT MEAN THE POLICY SUDDENLY CHANGED. It may simply mean that the policy always existed yet was never implemented until then. That happens too, you know.
Second, the law requires one thing, but bank policy may require additional things. They must respect the law, but if a bank decides they require additional proof, it is also their right to determine that according to their own policy.
Third, since you have not demonstrated that you or Barbie actually knows BusanBank's policy you have proven exactly nothing. Try again, with some relevant facts before maintaining that they are discriminatory or retarded.
"Applying logic to Korean banks where tellers will mutter under their breath about your foreigness?"
Now you show your true colors: So, logic is wasted on Korean bank staff. Those dumb Koreans just can't get anything right, can they? Of course, they all hate you. Sure. Got it.
Well, FYI, that doesn't jibe at all with my experience in 11 years, but that's just me and most non-raving, non-scene-causing, non-tantrum-throwing foreigners I know. I'd probably be muttering too if I had to deal with customers like her.
"I see no evidence, and you've presented none, that the BS bank has this policy where she has to submit her school's certificate."
I'm not the one claiming to know the bank's policy. You are the ones claiming he somehow changed it, without demonstrating that you even know what the hell the policy is. I don't need to know the policy to merely suggest you may be wrong, which is all I'm doing.
"It's a safe call on her part that he invented a rule because she's white."
Really? You still haven't explained why the same guy never gave her a problem until that one day. Did he attend a KKK meeting the day before? Did Barbie suddenly morph into a foreigner? Why did he never hassle her even once before that day?
"I always look forward to your unique take on life over here."
Yeah, I don't hear nearly enough people moan about how much they hate Korea and how nothing anybody does here makes sense to people who don't bother to learn Korean. What a truly original voice!
A few points of clarification:
1) My bank teller spoke nearly fluent English. For whatever reason, a lot of assumptions have been thrown around on that note.
2) My bank teller was only doing his job. The bank teller was not the issue. He happened to be there, hence, he becomes part of the story.
3) The hissy fit, which was over-the-top, bratty, and not cute at all, happened last year. This year, being slightly less of a tool, I simply asked why more information was needed and then requested that the teller close my account when I didn't like the information provided.
4) Absolutely regardless of what the policy is or isn't, absolutely regardless of whether or not the policy changed, why choose a bank with a policy you doesn't like, when there are better options available?
5) For the most part, I like Korea. I don't like BS Bank. This is why I left BS Bank, but still live in Korea.
4) I don't think that other people should stop using BS Bank. I really, honestly, couldn't possibly care less what other people do. This post, like the majority of my posts, was about me and my experiences.
I'm not sure where exactly The Boo-Hoo-You-Don't-Like-it-Here-So-Leave gang got lost on all of this, but there you go. Now that it's been spelled out so that a ten year old could understand it, continue as you were.
When you run out of ideas (and you will), feel free to recycle "fatty hag" from Random Anon did last week. I liked that one, it gave me warm fuzzies.
|| Karl - you are going back a lot of years. I was talking about the present crisis. You mentioned Woori Bank. One!||
Keano the claim was "not one Korean Bank has required a government handout." The statement has been proven false. You would now like to move the goal post? How many current Korean bank bailouts do you require? Korean banks have had three bailouts now in 11 years. Your confidence in the Korean banking system is a little overwrought, from my perspective.
|| How many US banks have had handouts. Some have been virtually nationalised which is anathems to American thinking. Korean are doing well in comparison to the US, although the Won as you rightly say is F*&^d.||
How many US depositors have lost their money? Zero. Your money is as safe in an American bank as in a Korean bank. It's called FDIC. Again, research your facts before making silly claims. If the Korean banking sector went belly up, I do wonder if foreigners would have an equal place in line for government guarantees. Or would xenophobic Korean politicians start passing laws. KEB *cough*
Hey, good luck with that confidence thing. As I said, you'll need it as the option of moving money home isn't really there.
||I say again if you dont like - try the welfare line.||
Fallacy: false dichotomy. You could work to change it. As a blogger you could also spend time to warn prospective teachers of pitfalls they might encounter.
Thanks for the information, Karl.
I somehow managed to work "you doesn't" into my last comment. I might have to retire myself from the comments section.
Plz change your name to Loud Black Woman, Cholera.
Thanks.
I love the "love it or leave it" commenters. Holy shit, Barbie! You have nearly as many of them as I have. I just tell them that this is my country too. Kiss my lilly white ass. I am not leaving, they should leave. Like I have always said: Korea would be a nice place if it wasn't populated by Koreans.
That makes a lot of sense. nb, you seem like a nice person to get to know, if you weren't so you.
Thanks, Juicy, for the backhanded complient. But I really don't need to fish for complients from a man named "Juicy" who blogs about ovulation and his mail order bride.
On a positive note, visiting your blog reminded me that I need to tell the cleaning lady that she doesn't need to come this week.
TITS OR GTFO.
Crap, I always forget to sign out.
BREAKING NEWZ:
Fatty Hag finally left Coria!!!
Now, she'll stop bitching about being drunk and slutty in a faraway land and you weeaboos can go back to learning Japanese and origami.
The teller suspected you of whitewashing drugs money. He was right.
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