ING: Incompetent Banking in Belgium

There is a strong consensus among people from other countries who live in Belgium that much of its administration is unnecessarily onerous. In northern Europe, places like Germany, Holland and Scandinavia have many rules and regulations, but apply them quite smoothly and efficiently.

Southern Europe tends to be looser and less well organized. Both public and private institutions in Belgium seem to combine northern rigidity with southern disorganization.

To open a bank account, one is supposed to have a fixed Belgian address. Of course, to get such an address, one needs a Euro-denominated bank account to put down a deposit to rent or buy housing.

The big banks like Dexia and ING will circumvent this “Catch 22” by initially opening an account based on a foreign address and then updating to a Belgian address later. (They will still not provide a no-fee online account without a Belgian address.)

ING actually advertises itself as the bank of choice for expatriates. It offers a fairly complete package for a flat 30 Euros per year and claims to provide English-language service.

For me, the decisive factor was that ING is my employer’s bank, so I would get paid faster. Rather than having to change a bunch of Canadian dollars into Euros, I was able to immediately use my first Euro salary deposit to rent my apartment. But ING, and from what I hear other banks in Belgium, have several odd defects.

1.) Restricted Temporary Cards

When I opened my ING account, I got a temporary bank card and a brochure about how my bank card would function throughout the Euro-zone. I then went to Amsterdam only to discover that my temporary card did not work. Fortunately, I had just enough cash to get through the weekend.

Two Years of Pool Renovations?

I sent the following letter to the mayor of my commune:

March 31, 2011

Jean Demannez
Bourgmestre
Commune de Saint-Josse-ten-Noode

Dear Bourgmestre Demannez,

I write regarding the excessively long closure of the Piscine Saint-François.

An important consideration in my decision to reside in Saint-Josse was proximity to a swimming pool. Before signing my lease, I phoned the commune office and was told that the Piscine Saint-François would reopen at the beginning of 2011.

The Piscine Saint-François website now indicates “Reouverture Fin Mars 2011.” But when I phoned the commune office today, I was informed that it will not reopen until September 2011.

Since the pool was closed throughout 2010, it will have been closed for twenty consecutive months before reopening. I have difficulty imagining what renovations or tests could take that long.

To go swimming, I must now walk half an hour north to the Neptunium in Schaerbeek or take the metro south to the Bains du Centre. Both pools charge higher admission fees because I reside outside of their communes.

Why are Saint-Josse residents being deprived of this public service for nearly two years?

Yours truly,

Erin Weir