Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Robot_Teacher]

Ah, my 1st HD monitor screenful. What a sigh of relief.

I went to a Nonghyup bank today (the only kind of bank locally) to pay my bills only to get a rude chewing out instead of courteous service one would normally expect of a bank. I picked a number, quietly sat down, and when it was my turn, I handed my bills and bank book to the banker, but she just yells at me in Korean with a raised rude toned voice instead of helping me. I tell her I just want to pay my bills out of my account and ask what the problem is. She yells some more so I repeat myself with a raised voice this time that I just want to pay my bills and not asking for any special favors. She then stomps over to this ATM nearby clack clacking real loudly in these ridiculously dangerous high heels and yells something to the effect for me to use it and walks off so I try putting my bank book and ATM card into it 10 different times and nothing happens where I get this error screen each time. There is no English menu nor instructions on this special financial services ATM so I'm at a loss and approach her again for help. (thoughts raced through mind to just abandon the 554,000 1st months utilities bill which I think is very excessive and get on the next flight out as maybe my being in Korea is not appropriate and I didn't come broke so I could just leave if I get inclined enough to do so)

But she just yells at me more in Korean something fierce, so I get pissed at that point and told her she's an incompetent banker and that I'm going to the main branch. I yell that I can't use that ATM as I don't know how so help me or I'm going to your boss at the main branch. She understood many of my words and even spoke a few English words so she's not too incompetent to have helped me as she did in the end due to understanding my threat to get her big boss involved. She then shows me how to use the ATM to pay my bills and I tell her thanks.

While I have incompetence at doing ATM bill pay with no English menus, the banker is really incompetent to not know I didn't know how to use it and that I needed help on how to do this or she's just being a bitch. It would had been easier and appropriate for her to just give me customer service from the get go instead of yelling at me for 5 minutes in Korean. I only understood the aggressive tone of her voice and negative sick attitude; not words.

What's the fuss? Why go the hard way to get me upset instead of giving me a little customer service? Are most Koreans this inept or am I just unlucky? I won't go there again, but will use the main branch. I also won't finish this job if I continue to be charged many times more for bills than most teachers. I think 554,000 is a bit excessive for the 1st month of electric, gas, and water and feel really shorted even more to get terrible banking service. I'm noticing a very low level and low quality of service in most stores too for the excessively high prices they're asking. Not even a smile or thank you in most instances, just an "Aniga sayo," simply meaning, "bye."

[TheUrbanMyth]

Half a million plus for utilities?


There's something funny going on there, methinks. I'd sit down with your friendliest co-teacher and try to iron this out.

[OBwannabe]

[wylies99]

Maybe the last occupant of the apartment left huge bills and the OP got snookered into paying them.

OP, that machine (ATM for utility bills) is easy. Just press the upper left and then it's pictures the rest of the way.

[Robot_Teacher]

[wylies99]

[seoulsucker]

Agreed. You're getting the shaft somehow. I'd look further into it.

I live in a really nice 20 pyung officetel with a parking spot, elevators, HVAC, electricity, cleaning fees (common areas), security, laundry, etc. all tied into one bill. Even in the summer when I had visitors from the states using my shower 3 times a day with the a/c on 24/7, my building fee was only half that.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I agree with the others about the bill.

Banking problem:

You were just unlucky. Mostly the bank people are friendly as all get out.

TIP: When you walk in, look around for the guy hanging around not doing much...he might have a gun at his side. He's the bank guard. Often it's just a kid; sometimes an old guy. Whatever. Walk up to him, hand over your bills and look pitiful. He'll be glad to help you. He has one of the most boring jobs in the world and all the ones I've seen are happy to help out people who don't know how to use the ATM machine.

[Jammer113]

Sorry you got a bad bank lady. I'm with Nonghyup and have gotten nothing but extremely courteous service. If I was being yelled at by a bank lady, I would ask her name, and then demand in a calm voice to speak to her manager. I wouldn't stop demanding until I spoke with the manager.

Talking to the bank guard sounds like a great plan, though. I'm personally always at work during bank hours, so I always get a friend to pay my bills, heh. I have no idea how to use that special bill machine.

[KYC]

You just had a bad day. I bank with Nonghyup. There's always a dude standing by the bills paying machine. I just swipe my bank book and punch in my pin while he does the rest.

Can't believe you put up with that for that long. After the 2nd time, I would have just said "where's your manager?"

[Enrico Palazzo]

Actually, when I went to this Shinhan Bank the guard with the gun seemed somewhat rude to me, but I won him over and was calm and smiled and asked him to please help me. I was always nice to him when I would come by and greet him and one time he told a tell her how much he thought I was an all right fellow. Sure, I was taken aback initially that he had this rough manner about him initially with me. Perhaps, he wasn't used to foreigners.

There was no excuse for that lady to behave that way. I have never encountered behavior of that nature at a bank in Korea. They've been very nice to me with the exception of the first encounter with the guard at the bank who later became quite affable.

[Robot_Teacher]

Wow, sounds like I went to the wrong bank. This is a tiny branch with one of the only 3 tiny local food stores on the side near where I'm staying. There was an old man sitting there doing nothing next to the machine, but no one in uniform with a gun. He just watched and looked on. Needless to say, I'm disappointed in her behavior and having this huge bill to the tune of 25% of take home pay. In the states, a bank teller would get fired for acting the way she acted to me today if the branch manager seen it or the customer reported it. This screams, "Welcome to the sparkling land of high cost for so little product and service level." It doesn't compute in robots mind as 1+1=2, but 1+1=1 1 short of a fair shake. I guess Korea doesn't mind paying a lot more for less while taking it up the bum from banks and companies, because they don't have the same concept of economics like I do coming from America where everything is cheaper and in greater quantity with a huge selection available where they have to respect the customer.

I'll go to the main branch from now on. There're 2 small branches and then the main branch. I opened my account at the main branch and there is a guard with a gun in there like many of you mentioned.

[blaseblasphemener]

Just ask her, "Why don't you go *beep* yourself?" Repeat if she doesn't understand.

You realize you just paid 25% of your salary for bills right? That's called a mortgage payment back home. Seems like you might want to have an emergency meeting with your principal and say you won't be living in your place as of 1 week from today. AFter that, you will be sleeping at the school.

[VanIslander]

[Guri Guy]

I will admit that the Shinhan bank that I go to has given me nothing but excellent service in this area. Sounds like you just had bad luck in meeting a cranky old goat.