20 years ago, a trip to Kalamata to visit the bank was never going to be a fun day out. You had to allocate at least half a day depending on what you needed to get done and you knew you’d be confronted by long queues. Your heart would always sink when you took your “ticket number”, realising you were 87 places away from being served, giving rise to the dilemma of whether to go off and do something else in the interim versus risking losing your place in the queue.

Generally, the main task in hand was to simply withdraw cash via your bank book, like a 10 year-old clutching their Abbey National building society book that had 6 pounds fifty in it. And then there were the “pink slips” which you had to obtain if you had transferred money from overseas and then withdrew it. This process unnecessarily involved too many staff members, culminating in the manager’s signature. Why? ATM’s were slowly being introduced but withdrawing money this way did not update your book, so unless you were scrupulously organized (which I wasn’t), you never knew how much you had in your account. But ultimately, I guess this was a different system in a different country and it didn’t take long to get used to it.

I randomly opted for the National Bank of Greece (NBG) who at that time had 4 branches in Kalamata, which at least gave options as to which one to go to according to the location of other errands you had to run.

Then things changed and not always for the better. The system jumped from cash to online, following the global trend. And to create a personal online account required a robust, determined attitude as several, often seemingly illogical, hoops had to be jumped through. I still don’t have one but should probably make the effort one day.

This transition was always going to be a slow one but nevertheless, 3 of the NBG branches in Kalamata closed, initially causing even longer queues at the one remaining main branch. The dreaded bank book more or less became a thing of the past, which can be seen as a good thing and paying utilities, transferring money etc. no longer required wasting time in town. Great. BUT, something else changed. Attitude. I think this new system went to all the banks’ heads as they became increasingly more demanding in what they required from customers to ensure their accounts remained operational. There was probably government/EU/global direction behind these new requirements and the excuse of “money laundering” is generally used by banks worldwide to make things more complicated and controlling. But to the average, uneducated punter, it just seems that all Greek banks are now playing God, making up new rules as they go along that often don’t seem to be consistent with other banks. I have often heard people say “Oh, bank X is so much worse than bank Y”. How can this be? Surely they are there to provide a quality service, which in turn makes them money…lots of it. They should be competing for business rather than constantly throwing up obstacles that make customers’ lives miserable!

 Here are 3 real, recent case studies that illustrate these points, that may make you laugh, cry or empathise if you have experienced something similar:

Process: (Note: added complication in that customer lost / had her mobile phone stolen which would have been the number held by the bank). Phone NBG customer services in Athens several times and get conflicting advice. Eventual conclusion reached that a visit to the bank was required to collect new card and pin. Out of the blue, a new card arrives in Stoupa by post. New PIN number now needed. Phone helpline again who send a required 8 digit number to the old mobile number. Explain that number doesn’t exist and give new number for new phone. No good as new SIM needs to be ratified by the bank so trip to Kalamata unfortunately back on. Book online appointment (the bank doesn’t answer the phone anymore). Night before appointment, national strike announced for the next day. Phone customer services who insist that the Kalamata branch will be open. Morning of appointment, son smells a rat, goes on Google Maps and phones a clothes shop near the bank before departure to get real time confirmation. A helpful shop owner confirms the bank is definitely closed. Re-schedule appointment. Son drops customer off at bank and goes off to run errands. Son returns 1 hour later and nothing has happened and finds customer slumped in a nervous, frustrated heap.

Despite the process that got mum and me to this point, this last phase was the most infuriating. The staff had allowed others to push in ahead of my 86 year-old mother. OK, with a booked appointment you don’t mind waiting a little extra, but over an hour? I approached some smartly dressed young lad manning the reception desk and asked why she hadn’t been seen. I just got a gormless look as if I was asking him the Meaning of Life. The bank was emptying so a more “forceful” approach was needed. We eventually got to see someone- a young woman, dressed as if she was at a night club, who clearly did not have a clue how to do her job (I’ve often thought the NBG recruits staff on nepotistic grounds, not merit). Trying to explain the 2 issues (new phone number and PIN) was too much for her and she kept having to leave her desk to go and ask a more experienced member of staff. Eventually, she sent an SMS to the new phone and I read out the required 8 digit number. Progress. Now for the PIN. “You don’t need one- use the old one” she insisted. “So if I go the ATM outside now, we can withdraw cash?” I nervously asked. Her reply almost caused to me to blow a gasket- “Maybe” – “What do you mean maybe?”- “I’m 99% sure”. Holy cow. Mrs Experienced overheard my reaction and stepped in. “That new card has been cancelled along with the old PIN. You need another new one.” At this point my gasket well and truly blew and so started stomping around the bank, yelling obscenities into thin air. Shouldn’t have done that as Mrs Experienced suddenly produced a new card and a new PIN after over an hour of toing and froing with the Dancing Queen. And it worked. Relief.

OK, so you may not see this example as the crime of the century- two months and two and a half hours in the actual bank isn’t that bad. Well, keep reading the next case study.

Process: My mother lived in Greece for 55 years and sadly died in 2015. Although I was brought up here, I moved back to the UK in the 1990s, visiting frequently every year. As her only child I was left her Eurobank bank accounts. One was an Athens branch account (when she lived there) and the other was one she opened in Kalamata (pension account).

I had a lot of expenses in Greece at that time with funeral costs, property tax, topography fees, bills and care costs for my ageing father (who passed away the following year, aged 102), so it would have been handy to be able to access the money, rather than having to bring over money from England every time we came.

Once the probate was accepted by the bank (only took one year!), I was able to access the money, but only at the Artemidos branch of Eurobank in Kalamata. I was not allowed an ATM card (apparently because it was an inheritance account), so I had 2 booklets I could withdraw money on. Capitol controls had just hit Greece at that time, so when I would arrive in Greece, I would go to the bank and spend on average of 3 hours to withdraw €460. I had to queue for the cashier, who would then send me to one of the team at a desk, where I had to fill out endless paperwork that they had to stamp, photocopy and get another team member to authorize. This one lady I frequently dealt with took pity on me and said I should just go straight to her on future visits. However she only worked 3 days a week, so coordinating arrival from the UK and her being at the branch turned out to be quite tricky. Slowly the capital controls started relaxing, so the 3 hours faff at the bank became more acceptable as I could withdraw more money in one go.

After the pandemic, my husband & I flew back to Greece and did our usual routine of arriving in Kalamata and going straight to the Artemidos branch, in hope they may finally issue me with an ATM card at least. To my dismay the branch had closed. Considering I had now been a customer of Eurobank for 6 years, I had not received any communication about this or anything to do with Eurobank at all.

So, I took my booklets and ID to the other Kalamata branch which was absolute chaos. I’d never seen anything like it. Finally, a manager came through the queue asking if he could help people. I said I needed an ATM card, and he came back with a list of documents they would need and a phone number to make an appointment. No appointments were available for the period I was visiting.

Before the next visit, I made an appointment from England for a couple of days after my arrival in Greece. However, one of the documents needed was a utility bill, which was a mission to find at the time, as the post was all over the place, I did manage to find an electricity bill, however by now I had missed my booking appointment. I phoned to apologise & explain but they had no other booking slots for 3 weeks, which was outside my ‘holiday’ window. A Greek friend of mine was getting concerned with my situation and suggested I look at another branch that would have available appointments. So, I got a slot at the Sparti branch. Off I go to Sparti with all the documents listed by the KLX manager. I get there to be told that these were not the correct documents, and I needed to produce my UK tax returns, my UK business incorporation certificate (I own and run a village pub in East Sussex), English phone bill and other random stuff, plus I had to get a Greek mobile number. Needless to say the tension levels were through the roof, to the point where the lady I was dealing with suggested we call it a day because I was getting upset & stressed out.

We then came over in Feb 2024 and I had my huge file of paperwork, every single document they asked for plus the previous documents to cover all bases.

Neither Kalamata or Sparti had an available appointment for the time I was here, so I booked an appointment at the Tripoli branch, with the assistance of a Greek friend, who deals with banks constantly for her business and she came with me.

We got greeted negatively at first, with this woman telling us that as this was not my branch, why should they have to deal with me. Anyway, with my friend’s calm influence another lady stepped in and was willing to help us.

I presented my bulging file of paperwork to her only to be told she didn’t need any of it, apart from my Greek tax number. After 2 hours I was given an ATM card, a PIN and online banking app and they easily merged the 2 accounts together with no hassle from the Athens branch. I was so overwhelmed I initially started clapping, causing all the branch staff to join in, before then bursting into tears and going behind her desk to hug her. Eight years of frustration right there and the bank saga was finally over.

A year or so later in writing this down, those emotions quickly return. Not just from thinking about my parents but from remembering how I was treated by the banks every time I came here over an 8 year period.

Process: The set up might seem a bit strange. The couple bought a plot of land here and so wanted a Greek bank account to pay for each stage in the construction of their new house. As the land was bought in both of their names, they were advised to open individual accounts. So each time a payment was due to the building contractor, 50% came from his account and the other 50% from hers. This went on for 2 years until the house was finished, thus nullifying the need for separate accounts. An appointment was booked and the couple set off, armed with what they were told would be the required documentation. On this occasion it worked. Coffee and biscuits were served and in the space of one morning, a joint account was created and an ATM card with PIN number was issued.

Just goes to show…