Banquo travels

I have had a very interesting day to day. Guess how long it takes to cash a cheque drawn on (Gulf State) National Bank in the City Centre Branch of (Gulf State) National Bank in the capitol city of (Gulf State)?

4 hours and 44 minutes. No really, 4 hours and 44 minutes, and it involved three trips to the bank. I had gone in last Thursday to make the first attempt, but even though that branch is open 08h00 to 22h00, they only provide "full banking services" 08h00 to 13h00. I dont count this first visit in the timing though, as I wasnt expecting much, the timing is just how long it took me today. They assured me last Thursday that so long as I came back before 13h00 on a working day I could cash my cheque.

Today I arrived at the bank and took my little ticket for the queue at 10h33. I waited 44 minutes to be served by the teller. The teller couldn't cash the cheque even though it was made out to me personally, to be paid in cash and I had proof of identity with me. His supervisor wouldnt cash it and advised me to go to head office. By 11h45 the assistant manager was involved and he was actually trying to get authority to cash the cheque. It was now 12h05 and I had to leave, I had a class to take only ten minutes later and still had no money. I had expected to be able to cash a cheque in less than two hours, Oh silly me! I told the assistant manager I would be back later. I returned at 15h15 to be told that all was ready, the return fax had just arrived. It had taken the assistant manager faxing head office and telephoning them repeatedly to get clearance to cash the cheque... because "the only signatures book is held at head office"! I actually got the cash at 15h17. The amount? slightly less than 300UKP (600USD).

All this was only necessary because red triangle bank has frozen my accounts because I am leaving soon, so I couldnt pay it into my usual account if I wanted to actually use any of it. This despite there being a standing arrangement where my employer is guarantor over all staff accounts so the freeze, allegedly, doesn't happen and despite the fact that I went in to the bank personally make sure this arrangement was in place and to fulfil the requirements of the petty bureaucracy that doing anything here entails.

I then went and paid my phone bill at (G)tel [short for (Gulf State) telecommunications] and attempted to cancel future service from the date of the day before I intend to leave. Apparently I can't do that either, I can only cancel the service with 5 or less days notice and I have to have a "letter of no objection" from my employer to be allowed to cancel it at all.

"Please sir, can I have permission not to have a phone any more?"

(G)tel is a state protected monopoly until 2014, with all the arrogance and lack of service that having no competition at all allows. The smart money says that in 2015 (G)tel won't exist at all. Regardless of who the competition is, people willl change just to not have to deal with (G)tel any more

Well you just have to laugh, it is comical, so many self important, condescending people, doing almost nothing with absolutley no authority at all, just stopping anyone else from achieving anything. I should write it up as a comedy show - Monty dish-dash perhaps or Gulfy Python. If you can't cope with the idiosyncracies of third world bureuacray and have a giggle it's probably best to stay at home, so one just grins and bears it and has a bit of a rant now and again.

For the Banquo reference see Grumpy Goat's blog for a very similar experience in (Other Gulf State)

G