Which Bank would you recommend

[lisa13 11,311]

3 minutes ago, fraufruit said:

 

Right. I hadn't thought of that. We have a fireproof safe at home.

 

Diba used to pay better interest. Don't mind them not having a brick and mortar place - we can just transfer money over to Commdirect if needed.

 

totally - but the point remains that if you, for example, need a big pile of cash for some reason (I decided to take cash when I bought my car) or god forbid you have a CHECK to exchange (thank you IRS, you stupid fuckers), having a brick and mortar available is helpful.

 

I think I've need that twice in 7 years.  it's really not necessary for most people but if you only have one account, all told, this might be a good option for unusual situations.

 

definitely not a must for the the overwhelming majority of people

[Kommentarlos 972]

I think 2 accounts are the bare minimum one should have with 2 separate banks, preferably not in the same cash machine group in case of IT failure. Whether they are online depends on what you need. Both with enough cash to cover basic emergencies. 

 

Some banks in the UK are having big IT problems in this area. 

 

 

[fraufruit 29,835]

2 minutes ago, lisa13 said:

god forbid you have a CHECK to exchange (thank you IRS, you stupid fuckers),

 

Let me know if this happens again. I helped a friend cash one last year. Put it in my account and then PPed the money to her. She only lost a tad on the PP exchange rate. Takes a little time but it worked.

[lisa13 11,311]

what a sweet offer!  you put it in your US account or German account?

 

I can put it in my german account but the fee per check is 25 euros, plus the worst exchange rate you can imagine...of course they sent me three separate checks in small amounts instead of one single check (like...I think they just hedge on expats not cashing these...it's deplorable)

 

I'm going to try to deposit them to my US bank account (I just have to upload a photo of it - US banking is really the bomb) and hope they don't freak out over the address on the check

[Kommentarlos 972]

32 minutes ago, lisa13 said:

I think you'll be better off going with an online bank but it might be nice to have some option for brick and morter service.  I think commdirect is the only one that offers the advantages of a purely online bank, but also allows a branch visit now and then.

 

So with commdirekt the OP would essentially be going back to the bank branch she/he is hoping to avoid. That is unlucky.

 

I am sorry I do not have any good suggestions. I cannot recommend Postbank at least in Berlin. Life is too short to deal with these people. 

[lisa13 11,311]

not really - commdirect is priced and managed like an online bank with the option to visit a branch in a pinch.

 

eta: it was not a branch that made this "mistake" - any online bank is going to carry similar risk with respect to phone convos gone awry.

 

[fraufruit 29,835]

12 minutes ago, lisa13 said:

I'm going to try to deposit them to my US bank account

 

No brainer. I wasn't sure if you had one. The friend I did this for was German. (You know her) She got some check from her old employer in Boston.

[SmurfLee 220]

7 minutes ago, Kommentarlos said:

. Life is too short to deal with these people. 

 

This is exactly what I felt today.

I have to say they are stupid. They presume, because they are stupid, lazy to use brain.

[SmurfLee 220]

Because I got so angry today, I told them I will change bank as soon as I get time, positively before the end of the year.

They replied:

 

We have a special account for customers who work for company’s we have a contract with (e.g. SAP).

In this account the credit card and all is free. And you do not have to get 1.200€ monthly that your account is free. Is free the hole time.

I can offer you this kind of account because we don’t want to lose you as our customer.

 

I think I will stay with this bank. Too much hassles to change bank.

I was over-reacting today, but I was really upset, because this time caused me too much inconvenience, and in general, they are very presumptive and dense. They don't seem to think, too lazy to think.

[lisa13 11,311]

hehehehehehehe

 

show me the money

 

come on.  you admit your German is not the best, yet you accuse them alone of not being able to think, with no consideration that there very easily could have been a miscommunication or misunderstanding during your conversation?

 

I totally understand being pissed about what happened.  but I think it's a bit unfair (as well as unrealistic) to lay all of it on them.

[fraufruit 29,835]

And you only dealt with one person so "they" are all idiots.

 

 

[SmurfLee 220]

2 minutes ago, lisa13 said:

hehehehehehehe

 

show me the money

 

come on.  you admit your German is not the best, yet you accuse them alone of not being able to think, with no consideration that there very easily could have been a miscommunication or misunderstanding during your conversation?

 

I totally understand being pissed about what happened.  but I think it's a bit unfair (as well as unrealistic) to lay all of it on them.

 

True. I need to learn German if I try to stay here, which is most likely to happen. With all the stupid things I complain about, I still like where I currently live.

 

But truly, a lot of times I feel Germans are the least sensitive people. They seem to so much in love with doing things in routine, no need to think kind, just repeat, repeat, repeat kind.

 

[SmurfLee 220]

2 minutes ago, fraufruit said:

And you only dealt with one person so "they" are all idiots.

 

 

 

Today, only one person. Previously several other people. I think they couldn't understand English, and just repeating same things to me over and over again without catching what I was saying.

 

The one today is best EN speaker among all of them.

[lisa13 11,311]

yeah ok, we all get weary and worn down from time to time.

 

I'm not picking on you here, honest, but did you even try to speak to them in German?  did they offer or agree to speak english with you or did you just dive in with english from your side?

 

I have learned that even when someone offers to speak english with me in a transaction, it's risky because they often overestimate their abilities, and underestimate mine.  I understand far more than I can say, but I've found that if I can say what I need, even in very simple terms, the results seem to be better.  In the worst case I will ask if they VERSTEHEN englisch - I can tell from their response in German if they really get what I'm saying or not.  if I have any doubt they understand, I switch to speaking my bad, simple german.

 

anyway I'm glad you have some resolution here

 

 

 

 

 

[SmurfLee 220]

2 minutes ago, lisa13 said:

yeah ok, we all get weary and worn down from time to time.

 

I'm not picking on you here, honest, but did you even try to speak to them in German?  did they offer or agree to speak english with you or did you just dive in with english from your side?

 

I have learned that even when someone offers to speak english with me in a transaction, it's risky because they often overestimate their abilities, and underestimate mine.  I understand far more than I can say, but I've found that if I can say what I need, even in very simple terms, the results seem to be better.  In the worst case I will ask if they VERSTEHEN englisch - I can tell from their response in German if they really get what I'm saying or not.  if I have any doubt they understand, I switch to bad, simple german.

 

anyway I'm glad you have some resolution here

 

 

 

  So true 

 

[dstanners 795]

Perhaps it's just me or my bank, but from my experience Volksbank are absolutely bl00dy brilliant, and way better than their UK counterparts. They have actual people, and telephone lines manned by human beings in your local branch. I was able to open my first account there before I had even been to the Einwohnermeldeamt. I have online banking and it even shows me my account manager's direct telephone line. If she's not in the office, it goes through to someone in the same branch, who takes a message and I get called back by my bank manager...the same day! Never known anything like that level of service in the UK.

Obviously, I could list the usual gripes about needing to ueberweis bl00dy everything, and the need to recall an IBAN and all of that sort of stuff, but once you can accept it, it's all good. I heartily recommend (and am not employed by!) Volksbank (ex. Raiffeisen).

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, dstanners said:

Perhaps it's just me or my bank, but from my experience Volksbank are absolutely bl00dy brilliant

 

Another vote for the VR bank, awesome service and nothing is too much trouble ( at least out here in the countryside )

[someonesdaughter 3,422]

1 hour ago, SmurfLee said:

 

This is exactly what I felt today.

I have to say they are stupid. They presume, because they are stupid, lazy to use brain.

 

1 hour ago, SmurfLee said:

 

Today, only one person. Previously several other people. I think they couldn't understand English, and just repeating same things to me over and over again without catching what I was saying

 

So you understand little or no German (the language spoken in Germany). Is that enough to call you "stupid"? "Lazy to use brain"?

[Kommentarlos 972]

21 minutes ago, someonesdaughter said:

So you understand little or no German (the language spoken in Germany). Is that enough to call you "stupid"? "Lazy to use brain"?

 

You often come across as a very bitter and condescending person in your posting style. Is this your intention? Do you have anything constructive to add here, perhaps a bank recommendation? 

 

If you do not like the tone of the discourse you are always welcome to improve it by good example.

[someonesdaughter 3,422]

19 minutes ago, Kommentarlos said:

 

You often come across as a very bitter and condescending person in your posting style. Is this your intention? Do you have anything constructive to add here, perhaps a bank recommendation? 

 

Your contributions often seem as if you want to contradict on principle, is that intentional?

 

Do you find it particularly clever to complain that people in a non-English speaking country do not speak (broken) English and therefore call them "stupid" and (in broken English) "lazy to use brain"?

 

People who have such an attitude will not be happy with any bank. Therefore any recommendation is meaningless, the problem is not with the recipient (the bank employee) but with the sender (the bank customer). 

 

Quote

 

If you do not like the tone of the discourse you are always welcome to improve it by good example.

 

I won't call you stupid because you don't understand what I'm saying. Satisfied?