When we first looked for a bank to open an account, we discovered that Triodos Bank has branched out to the UK. They are originally Dutch and are one of the few genuinely ethical banks in existence. We were thrilled to find them and wanted to apply for an account there.
However, at that time, we thought we needed an account in euro’s and that isn’t possible (yet) with Triodos in the UK. Later on, we found out that we actually must have an account in GBP, but by then, we had forgotten Tridos (shame on us!) and that’s when we ended up applying for an account with HSBC.
Update on HSBC
We can be very short here: we haven’t heard from HSBC since the last time we called them. Not a word through any media in any languages. We’ve given up on them and do not expect to hear from them ever. Exit HSBC.
Triodos Bank to the rescue!
When applying for an account with Triodos Bank, the first thing to do is call them. We had a brief call with one of their employees, who sent us an email with a link to their application form. Which didn’t work properly… We couldn’t move on from the first page of the form to the next. After much trial and error on Christophe’s part, it became clear that the form stumbled over a foreign correspondence address, even though it offers the possibility to fill one in.
We alerted Triodos to the fact and their technicians are looking into the problem. We moved on without said address, which we simply sent them by email. And then, everything worked! Just like that. We got a reply within 5 working days, asking for more information. Which we gave, and then we got a reply within 2 days, asking for certified copies of our identification papers plus proofs of address.
Yesterday, we had a solicitor certify copies of our identity papers and today, we sent them, with our proofs of address, by good old fashioned snail mail, to Triodos in the UK. We’re just hoping the fact that I cannot provide an original bank statement won’t throw a spanner in the works. You see, I have a bank account with ASN Bank in the Netherlands (another ethical bank), and I do everything digital. They don’t send me any paper bank statements, I just look up all the information online and store anything I wish to save as PDF’s on my hard drive. I explained this to Triodos and now we wait for the verdict. Let’s hope it turns out all right, and that we will have a business bank account before the end of this month.
(copyright image: yourmoney.com)