Good-bye Williamsburg Bank
As I’d mentioned in a previous post, now I know why NSB is the richest public bank in Sri Lanka. It’s fucking hard to get money out once you’ve put in. Well not due to some irritable cashier or something, but their ATM anyway used to suck. Their business rules are kaput and like those of say 100 years back when you couldn’t connect the branches. They’re very branch-centric. I’ve got my account in Branch X and I can’t event update my book in another. I dunno about the ATM cause the last time I tried it sucked in my card and still I didn’t get one. I think they’re only good for long term fixed deposits. I dunno about interest rates cause anyway as I know about the inflation rates here putting your money in bank makes it less valuable. By putting in bank what I really expect is to stop myself from keeping the bundle of cash in my drawer. Like you can buy a cheeseburger today for 200Rs: if you put it in bank and get what’s in there in say a year and try to do the same, it won’t buy you the burger. Atleast at the present inflation rates. (how much is it now? Think was like 19% something last time I checked.) So better use it altogether today to buy something worthwhile than putting in bank all in all. I consider banking in elsewhere or buying US$s even. Or keeping the wad in my drawer. Atleast I’d have better access.
Right now what I need is a proper bank. I think I’ll walk outta the richest bank thing and try something more humble like Sampath, NTB (their AMEX service is pretty good) or HSBC even. Atleaset they’ve got a better spread ATM net.
