Monthly Archives: May 2008

Why banks are cheaters

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The main reason I signed up for a checking account with HSBC is because they are the world’s local bank (so I thought). When I was setting up my account with my HSBC representative, I asked him if I could withdraw money while in Taiwan for free (no fees). He reassured me that this was the case. I went ahead and deposited my money and went on my merry way. Fastforward two years. In four days, I’ll be on a plane for my long-awaited vacation in Taiwan. Today, I decided to be proactive and call HSBC to let them know that I’ll be using my card overseas. I checked with my customer relationship specialist about if there are any fees and to my surprise, he told me that there is a 3% conversion fee. I got really annoyed because why would they charge me a fee if I’m using an HSBC bank in Taiwan? Isn’t it the same bank? He told me that HSBC USA is different than HSBC Taiwan. He said something (I was having trouble understanding his accent). Then after a few minutes of being on hold, he told me he’d be transferring me to someone in the International Banking department.

I told this new person that I just don’t understand why HSBC would mislead customers that they can use their HSBC debit card at any HSBC ATM world wide. How are they the “world’s local bank” if they are really separate entities? He said that the banks are separate, but fall under one bank. He then said that if I withdraw money in Taiwan, it costs THEM money to convert the money to NT. Anyway, I told him that he needs to tell his colleagues not to lie to clients. He said he’d escalate this to his managers to let them know. I know that he probably won’t be doing a damn thing, but whatever. I understand that banks just want to make money. If I decide to take money out of an HSBC ATM in Taiwan, I won’t be charge an ATM fee. I guess that’s good right?

I can’t wait for Taiwan. )

I can sleep soundly

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I had my dental cleaning/check-up today. I’ve been having nightmares since last week about my teeth. All of today I was distracted at work. I was thinking about my teeth and if there were any cavities or even root canals. At 5:30pm, I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. My big boss was in the bathroom and asked if I’m going on a date. I said, “Yeah a date with my dentist.” She then told me she does the exact same thing (brushing her teeth before going to a dentist appointment). I arrived at the dentist just on time (it’s quite close to my office). Before I could sit down and read a magazine, the hygienist called me into the death chair. She tried to make small chat asking how I was. I think she could sense the fear in me. I told her I was scared and that everyone says I need to floss more, but I do floss! I then mentioned that I’ve been using a Sonicare toothbrush. She told me that they are wonderful. She checked my teeth and then said, “I can see a difference!” (At first I thought she said, “I can’t see a difference.”) She then told me that I got an A- and next time if I floss better (what else is new right?) I’d get an A+. After picking at my teeth and washing my teeth with a sharp tool that spit out water, I got to gargle some water. I spit out blood as usual. I wondered to myself if this was normal, but it is (especially if you’re on the pill). She brushed my teeth (at that point I knew that I had survived). She asked if I wanted to see Dr. Chung. I said, “Well do I have any cavities? Any problems?” She said, “No.” I said, “Well I would like Dr. Chung to check. I have very sensitive teeth (I really meant ‘bad’ teeth).” Also, I had scheduled an appointment to see Dr. Chung, so I’d like to see him for a couple of minutes! I didn’t want any surprise root canals/cavities at my NEXT check-up. He came in and checked and said everything looked good except for my crown of my root canal that I got a few years ago. He said most likely I’ll have to get it replaced. As long as I don’t need another root canal, I am happy!

So the moral of this story? Go get your Sonicare and you’ll be all set!