Paying a Bill -a Cautionary Tale

My 84 year old Dad lives on the Costa del Sol, about a year ago he was asked by a friend who, in my opinion was fiddling the benefit claim in the UK, had no Spanish bank account and wanted a contract internet "dongle".

"I need a guarantor", says her, "all you need to do is sign for the contract and that will be it."  And so it was - until she decided to go back to the UK.  This left her dongle with, according to her, two months to run on her contract.  "Pay it for me in December and tell them to cancel it!"

Needless to say, I think the old chap got a little confused and asked the bank teller to cancel the contract.

I'm visiting for a fortnight to sort out a few other things when a bill from the phone company and a Denuncia hit the letterbox on Tuesday.  Straight up to the company shop to complain.

"Señor, you need to go to the Banco ********* to pay this, they take the money on a Tuesday or Thursday from 8:30 to 10:30 then fax it to head office, bring back the receipt and fax proof of sending and I will cancel the account" - Time now 11:00!  Back up to town on Thursday at 0900!

Into the Bank, at 0915, stood in line, then handed over the bill to be paid. "No Señor not today on Tuesday." 

"The sign on your wall says Lunes or Viernes, today is Viernes!"

"No Señor only on next Tuesday or the 20th!"

"Between 8:30 and 10:30?"

"Yes Señor!"

Hmmm, flight to UK on Monday at 10, get to airport at 8!!

Round to phone shop, "Yes I told you only on certain days!  You might be able to transfer through your bank"

OK, home, fuming.  Talk to the dad, do it in the morning.  Down to his bank, back home because he's got the wrong bank card, back to the ban, transfer the cash, up to the phone shop and stand for 20 minutes while the girl talks to head office to cancel the account. "Oh, this account runs until August, but you can cancel it now for €70"

So now, he's got to wait for a letter from the phone company asking for some monthly charges and the €70 then pay that by transfer.

Difference between Spain and the UK?  Walk into the phone shop say "I want to cancel this contract." They tap a few buttons on their computer and say that will be £X you pay, they cancel the contract, you go home.

In Spain you have two hours on two days each month to pay a bill in a specified bank.  And people wonder why Spain is in financial trouble?

Let me guess ,The bank was Santander ?  lol

Absolute scum of a place. . I won't have any thing to do with anyone who wants paying using any  of them that operate in that manner.

So far as paying bills in banks is concerned this practice of limited hours, on limited days, doesn't only apply to Santander...

My IBI bills from Granada Concil are payable only at a limited number of different banks and each have different paying in times.

My bank, La Caixa, is not one of Granada Council's selected banks for payment via counter service, but the bill can be paid using the bar code scanner built into La Caixa's ATM!

The banks selected by Granada council for payment of Road Tax are different again, and do include La Caixa's counter service. The Sub-Director of my branch of La Caixa has not imposed fixed hours for payments...any amount, anytime.

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My bank manager has assigned me a personal banker, any problems I just phone her tell her what I want and it is done - voila! Also all my banking is completely free and I get 3% back on all standing orders. Great service for the last 27 years in Spain. Service just as good here as I have from Coutts personal banking in UK. So no complaints from me!

 as I have from Coutts personal banking in UK. So no complaints from me!

Coutts the private bank the Queen uses....

.....The very same bank that lost quite a few lottery winners all their money with bad investment advice....The very same bank that got a record fine of 8.7 million pounds for handling stolen criminal money and also setting up accounts for foreign despots....The very same bank that had 348 complaints against it for bad investment advice in one year.

 As I said earlier - no complaints from this quarter! Excellent service and they have looked after my and my family affairs for over 120 years.