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ICBC Bank Experience

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annielam9898

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Joined: Aug 09, 2009
Posts: 26

Status: Offline

Posted: Aug 12, 2009 - 05:04 PM
Post subject: ICBC Bank Experience

Hi, I'm new to the city. Went to ICBC bank today during lunch time. There are at least 15-20 people on the line. The bank has 10 windows, but for some reason only 2 windows are opened for service. Service is slow as hell, and when I stood up and asked the 'service' desk why there are only 2 tellers during peak time (lunch time is peak usually for places like bank no?), and the 'service' representative slowly replied (like she's about to run out of breath or may she just didn't care) - "these are all the people we have now, and the best we can do...". I asked why? And she said they all went out for lunch. I was like... what?? I was told repeatedly to lower my expectation when it comes to service in china. Guess they are right, the concept of service is expected differently here. Any other bank that provides better service in Shanghai? I thought ICBC is the second biggest???

CoffeeHawk_0
Board Deity

Joined: July 14, 2005
Posts: 19035

Posted: Aug 12, 2009 - 05:17 PM

sorry, but it needs to be said: Newbie alert!

welcome. resistance is futile. for example, you will soon find that your Chinese co-workers leave the office for a bit around 3pm....to go to the bank!!!! Lunch time IS lunch time, for everyone, remember you are one of the people now. Next you'll proably think you are special because you are in the crosswalk area when you cross a street.

watch-learn-adapt

you should have been here 5 years ago before credit cards were invented.

annielam9898

Lurker

Joined: Aug 09, 2009
Posts: 26

Status: Offline

Posted: Aug 12, 2009 - 05:33 PM

LOL. Yes indeed. Mama is all down for it. I look forward to finding other interesting discoveries. Very Happy

bougie
Board Buddha

Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 14915
Location: Woooo .. Han

Posted: Aug 12, 2009 - 07:18 PM

I would recommend you try to get your banking done at the hospital .. or vice versa ..

Good luck

annielam9898

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Joined: Aug 09, 2009
Posts: 26

Status: Offline

Posted: Aug 12, 2009 - 09:54 PM

bougie wrote:

I would recommend you try to get your banking done at the hospital .. or vice versa ..

Good luck

yeah, so my heart attack is taken care of while doing a wire transfer. thanks for the advice.

bkyee

Seeker

Joined: Aug 01, 2009
Posts: 52

Status: Offline

Posted: Aug 14, 2009 - 04:41 AM

Try queuing for a train ticket at the railway station next!

rayne
Ranter
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Joined: May 19, 2008
Posts: 500
Location: Shanghai

Posted: Aug 14, 2009 - 09:55 AM

bkyee wrote:

Try queuing for a train ticket at the railway station next!

You forgot to add "especially just before the golden week holidays" Wink

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Artefact
Veejay
Veejay

Joined: Aug 19, 2003
Posts: 2010
Location: Where no one has gone before

Posted: Aug 14, 2009 - 11:28 AM

it was even more hell during the crazy stock booming time

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shanghaiceltic

Shanghai Royalty

Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 8337
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline

Posted: Aug 15, 2009 - 07:38 AM

When I lived in Shanghai there was a near riot at the BoC on Hong Qiao Lu. Loads of peopel waiting, I had already been there an hour, 4 windows open, 11:30 came 3 windows shut, people at first politely appealed to the manager, then it grew to finger wagging and shouting. The man in the oversized security uniform dissapeared out the door....Normal.

If anything in 1999 when I went to live in Shanghai things were better as less people used the banks. The growth in banking has not meant a growth in service.

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bleepingbleeper

Ranter

Joined: June 18, 2009
Posts: 503

Status: Offline

Posted: Aug 19, 2009 - 06:47 PM

bkyee wrote:

Try queuing for a train ticket at the railway station next!

once went on a day-trip to hangzhou by train during a weekend. not even a holiday. upon arriving in hangzhou train station, gf and i decided to buy an earlier ticket back to shanghai (we already had an evening return ticket).

walked into the ticket purchasing area - at least the size of 4 basketball courts, and the place was packed to the brim... every window had a line stacked to the opposite wall with people overflowing out the doors. no venting or AC (not that it would have much effect anyway).

was stupid enough to stand in line for maybe 15mins (moved about 2steps) before giving up. it was like a freak show there - all manner of odd folks with lazy eyes, droopy lips or ears, shriveled faces, deformed limbs...one guy who tried cutting in front of me looked so freaky (and stinky) that my gf pulled me back and just let him cut. i was about to tell him off and when he turned around, my gf gasped and just pulled me back.

we took the bus back home later that day.

refusion

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Joined: June 21, 2006
Posts: 25
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 19, 2009 - 08:55 PM

Yeah, and ICBC thinks everyone in China uses Windows so I'm forced to keep an old Xp machine around my house just so I can even log and use their online banking service. It forces you to use Internet Explorer because their site security scheme uses ActiveX (like giving your house key to a thief).

Not only that, the stupid USB security key for online shopping is only compatible with Windows, as well.

Be warned, most computer-relates stuff comes only in Windows flavor in China. Yuck! You'd think if a bank were so worried about security, they WOULDN'T use Windows. Even the ATMs for most all banks run on Windows and do crash REGULARLY. Getting your card eaten by a machine due to software glitches is pretty common here.

Have fun in China! You know Steve Balmer and Bill Gates certainly are!