Preferred Bank Customer

Yesterday I opened a Mexican bank account with the bank’s Preferred Customer Unit. It’s a special branch which deals with all the banking necessities for a foreigner’s life in Mexico - savings or cheque accounts, debit & credit cards, investments, loans and insurance of all types. You deal with someone who speaks English (and I imagine most other languages) and the whole process is incredibly simple. I had noticed the sign in the window on one of my daily walks, that you could have all your Mexican utilities charged to the account free of charge, so it means that if I’m away when a bill comes in, it will still get paid. There are no bank charges if you keep an average of 3000 pesos in the account. Since I am about to contract for the cable TV and internet, it made sense. I can put in $1000 and then set up automatic payments for everything, that should pretty well last the year.

I brought the brochures home to read properly, and when I returned the next day to open the account I was greeted with a kiss like a long-lost friend!  Not realising that the bank closed at 5 (here everything is open late), I arrived at 4.40 but there was no resentment about staying after hours to do the paperwork. In fact she said that if I ever need something & the front door is locked, just call and she will let me in! Would that ever happen in my local bank where the door is firmly closed at 4pm and if you are 1 minute late you have to come back tomorrow? My debit card was issued immediately, and internet banking access set up. I even have a “preferred customer” card so instead of joining the line of 20 or so people at the bank, I can walk straight to the front! Now that’s service.