Irritata

Experienced some more frustrations at 7:30 this morning.

I phone NatWest, my English bank, through Skype just to check to make sure that my recent (£10!) check had cleared and that my account is still active. I gave the woman my sort code and account number--and then she asked for my pin number. I had two options with me, the original ATM pin mailings that they sent me when I was there.

Neither of those worked. As a result I was blocked from telephone banking and told to re-register for a new pin.

Talked to another guy. The connection over Skype was really shoddy; he said I sounded like I was calling from space.

He said the only thing they could do was snail-mail me the re-registration form, which would take "God knows how long." I alerted him to the fact that I'd be moving in three weeks, so he suggested I phone my branch (which was where I spoke to that first woman, initially), request a mailed change-of-address form, mail that in, and then request the re-registration for phone banking. "But then again," he said, "it might take too long if you're in the States."

Don't get me wrong; he was a nice enough teller--but it's so frustrating to have the bureaucratic run-around and to be blocked out of checking my account so quickly. It's worse than with my bank here in Boston, I have to say.

And now I also have to find out the best way to make Skype-to-phone calls, since the sound got so distorted this time. My internal microphone is working fine; apparently it's distortion caused by changing the digital call into analog for the phones there.

My plan was to start phoning production companies to ask about their work and possible vacancies--but that has to be put on hold if I'll sound like a Martian.

Irk. Just thought I'd share.