OT: Business banking suggestions

Hi Phil,

I am in Canada so my business banking experience won't help you (International Wire Transfers for $17.50 either way and no other 'extra' costs), however can you not make this payment using a company like Wells Fargo or other money order company?

etc...

John

Sounds like a New Yaawk thing. I use Chase, pay no monthly fee, just $15 per transfer (which, in itself, is a ridiculous amount).

(BTW, I pay no monthly fees at all... waived if I do three or more debit card purchases per month.) ...Jim Thompson

I can do transfers, just not overseas ones.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Thanks. There's Xoom and so on as well, but I'm mostly just fed up with being nickel-and-dimed by my bank, and this was the last straw.

I do this very seldom, so I wasn't worried about the $50. How*ever*, it should have been easy, and they made it like pulling teeth, then got all self-congratulatory about doing it just once "as a courtesy".

Courtesy, my left buttock.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

That was overseas (to Hong Kong). ...Jim Thompson

Paypal?

Do they have branch hours? ;)

Thanks, I know there are alternatives for transfers, but I really need a new bank.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

All large banks are scum. Any small/local banks in your area? They are often more "user friendly". ...Jim Thompson

We use Wells Fargo. They have somehow tagged me as VIP or something, so I get super service if I call in for help. I think they do that if you open multiple personal and business accounts.

BofA was pretty bad.

Tell me about it! As a college student around... 1997 or so, I stupidly opened up a BofA account. They charged me excess ATM withdrawal fees before Christmas because I was buying presents. I closed that account so fast...

Michael

Yeah, I would change banks.

Personally I use a credit union.

Suddenly I'm curious about Bitcoin, for international transfers...

Michael

I needed to get a cashiers check in a hurry, so I went to a nearby BofA branch. They said I could only do that at "my" branch, a couple of miles away. So I went to my branch and cleaned out all my accounts.

We were recently in the Truckee branch of Wells Fargo, 190 miles from home. Both my wife and I had unusual things to do. Everybody was wonderful, serious personal service. My teller was great, but she has _never_skiied_ so I presuaded her to give it a try.

Oh that's good to hear! I wasn't sure what to think of Wells Fargo, with the scandals in the news a few months ago.

Never skied, huh. :) Snowboarder then?

Michael

That sure sounded to me like grand theft and conspiracy to commit grand theft, but bankers are immune from the law.

Not even!

The Chase folks round here are really great too. It's just their bank that stinks.

_never_skiied_ so I presuaded her to give it a try.

I used to ski, when I still had knees. Dislocated one, shredded a meniscus in the other, both over 40 years ago. Martial arts was OK, but not skiing.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

I haven't sent money internationally, but I've received international money transfers. The company uses ACH transfers. I hadn't thought about it until now, but maybe the transfers weren't international. They likely are sending the money from a US bank. Either way, they didn't use wire transfers, rather ACH. There were no fees to me.

So true. (sigh)

I yearn for when we still had silver currency. The kids laughed when we watched Andy Griffith and an ice cream was 10 cents. I reminded them that before 1965 or so, that dime was 90% silver, and at the time was worth about $2.

I heard a World War 2 airplane cost $100k or so. Too lazy to look up my economics book, I just assumed it was worth $100k in silver dollars, so at $17/oz or so today, that would be about $1.7 Million. Quick, easy.

Ahh :)

Michael

That stuff is not over. I heard something on the news the other day about a new investigation showing discrimination by Wells Fargo.

Setting up an account with Chase that allows sending ACH transfers costs another $25/month.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs