Customer service, and then some

Customer service here is odd. At times, they don’t seem the least bit interested in you or your problem. Others times, they bend over backward to get your business.

Banking seems to be one of the latter.

To open an account, you must have a letter from your employer stating your salary and giving approval for you to have an account. Your paycheck goes directly to your account on the last Thursday of each month.

I finally received my letter after about three weeks, and hustled over to HSBC to open an account.

A very helpful fellow took all my information, then started giving me things to sign, including the checking account documents and forms for a free credit card.

Then he pulled out a form for a second credit card, and another one for auto insurance.

Me: I don't need a second credit card. And I don't even have a car.
Him: Oh but sir, you do not want only one card.
Me: Um, why not?
Him: Because, sir, if you pay 250 dirhams for the second credit card, and 250 dirhams for the car insurance, you checking account is free.
Me: I thought it was free anyway.
Him: Yes sir, but with free checking you must pay 100 dirhams every time you transfer money to the US. But if you pay 100 dirhams a month for checking, you can transfer money to the US for free.
Me: Ummmm ....
Him: But sir, what you want to do is take the second credit card and the auto insurance and then the checking and the transfers are free.
Me: Ummmm ... OK, gimme some car insurance!

So he went to the vault, came back with an ATM card and secret envelopes containing pin codes and I was done!

Oh, and they were so eager to get the credit cards in my hands, they had a courier hand-deliver them to me at work two days later.