So I have seen the adverts, even in Ireland, about Rabobank. We even have sporting events named…read moreafter this crowd. I thought they would be a good place to open a bank account. Turns out, I was quite wrong. I called in here and much like the other banks around, they have an amazing decor and a friendly staff ready to help as soon as you enter the door. i thought this was going to be a good experience. Well, to be honest the nice lady who assisted me was lovely and my views on this have no bearing on the staff, as they are lovely. The issue is the bank. Now, I actually sat down with a nice lady, no appointment needed, and setup an account. Before signing the final paperwork I had a list of questions, as you do, about costs and services. I asked about fees, over drafts, time frames for posting payments, online banking, you know the normal stuff. Apparently I found out AFTER opening an account that here in Holland there are other questions you need to ask as well. As soon as I had my paperwork done I found out what these questions were, real fast. Like 'if I open an account today, can I use it?'. The answer with Rabobank is NO. It takes a couple weeks from the date you come in and fill out your paperwork before the account is setup and you get your card and can actually use your bank account. If you plan on opening one today and using today, this is not the bank for you. I then found out that even if I had my card, they do not process foreign checks, so the checks I wanted to deposit they would not do anyway. I was then also told that transferring my own money INTO my account from my Irish account would cost me money, and than using the banks services at other locations would also incur fees. I was a bit crest fallen at this point as all I wanted to do was open a bank account to pay some bills I had and deposit a few checks. To top it all off they hand me what looks like a pocket calculator and then explain if I want to do online banking or bank using my mobile phone I must lug this large unit around with me everywhere as it is needed to log on to the website or mobile phone banking system. Seriously? In todays society they expect us to carry around a device larger than my mobile phone that just creates codes I can log on to the website and check my balance with? Needless to say I closed my account hours after opening it and am now an ING customer.
