Banking

We were warned about the French banking system.

After three months of frustration with BNP Paribas, we requested a switch to Credit Agricole (CA) Aquitaine.

Changing banks should be a straightforward task, but here it's a minefield. It is something so fraught a special law was brought in by Emmanuel Macron, the current front-runner in the Presidential elections, to make the transition less painful.

The transition is still painful.

At first, BNP refused to do it because the account is in joint names... and I alone had made the application.

Then, when the paperwork was in order, we were told it would take a whole month before the change was effected.

So, BNP alerted the various enterprises and utilities which we pay with direct debit of the impending change. But they did so before they transferred the balance to our new account. So the inevitable happened. Electricity provider EDF pulled a monthly amount out and put the CA account in deficit.

I then had to race in to obtain an overdraught facility for our CA account. Other amounts are about to come out, but still we wait for BNP to make the transfer.

Today, Cliona tried to use her new CA credit card to make a modest online purchase. But alas, the vendor said her card wasn't recognised.

sigh

On a brighter note, we took advantage of the warm Spring weather over the weekend to do two long cycles ... one up-river and one down-river.

Sunday's cycle took us to Clairac, where we had a relaxing pitstop at a cafe/bar overlooking the river and the old part of town.