Korean Job Discussion Forums

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

I just went to pay my phone bill at the post office and found out that you have to open an account to pay your bills there now.

If you do open open account there, you now use a bank book and machine to pay your bills.

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Is anyone else confused by the above post? Are you talking about a bank or a Post Office?

Question

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

Not so confusing. The post office operates as a pseudo-bank here.

Sounds like western ways catching up with the Korean banking industry -- pushing folks to use machines rather than tellers. Inevitable, I'd guess, but I enjoy the ease & human interaction of just handing over my bills & letting the woman behind the counter process them. Efficient & friendly.

fidel · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Location: North Shore NZ

Actually, Koreans haven't been able to pay their bills through a teller for several months. You don't need an account as far as I know, you are supposed to use the machine, which doesn't have an English menu, at least the one in my hood doesn't.

pet lover · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Location: not in Seoul

I just hand over all the mail I receive at my place to my boss and he sorts through it to see what is mine, what is his, and what was accidentally stuck in my box and then all of my bills get magically deleted from my paycheck and I get a photocopy of all the bills on one page with the paid stamp on them. It's a wonderful system. Very Happy

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I just pay at my bank, which has a machine now. I have the security guard or someone from the bank help me.

I hope everyone does this, so they get sick of it, and they re-program the machines to have English.

I can figure out most of the Korean now, but I just want them to know it's dumb to have ATMs in English, but not these machines too.

funplanet · Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Location: The new Bucheon!

You can also pay by ATM if you want....

peppermint · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:29 am Post subject:

I just have my bills set up for direct withdrawal from my account. Easy peasy.

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

peppermint · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:58 am Post subject:

Why shouldn't they? There are quite a few non Koreans here and catering to them in small ways like having the option for English (or Chinese, which I've noticed on quite a few ATMs lately) is such a minor thing to make life easier for them. It also takes some of the pressure off of the staff to speak foreign languages.

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

Oh, I have the perfect system. I just hand over all bills, company and personal, to my bookkeeper and she takes care of it. No stress, no mess. Really, it's a great system.

Hmm... wonder how she bought that BMW on her salary, yet the company's been three years in the red.

Damn, I knew there was something wrong with that system! Evil or Very Mad

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

I went into my bank yesterday to do an international transfer & a new guy at the desk spoke quite passable english. Turns out he'd just spent a year in Toronto. 5 years ago you couldnt find a word of english in the banks in this small town -- another sign of the remarkable progress.

Not as much fun though as negotiating the procedure with his cute english-challenged predecessor.

Konundrum · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Boston

hogwonguy1979 · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: the racoon den

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

Most of my bills are withdrawn automatically, but not my apt. fees. Still have to pay them at the PO. Actually, I COULD pay them at the bank (in the same building...steps away from each other), but the Postmistress is a former student of mine, so it's nice to stop in and see her now and then. I DO have an account there, so I guess that's why I've never had a problem paying in cash!