What is wrong with Aus?

[Lyn]

Phillip we are with Commonwealth and pay $4 a month for the works - if we apply for anything it arrives about 2-3 days later in the post. I cant believe they post cheque books, debit cards, credit cards - imagine that in SA ?

I also have had no problem with the bank.

One little pet hate now that I think of it - can anyone tell me why there are so many trolleys lieing all over the place ? And there are actually people employed who collect these everyday on the back of utes ? So - Im allowed to push my groceries home and just leave the trolley where I feel like ?

[brendia]

Ok I have just had this mental picture about the hoons. I can't understand why they do this. We used to live next to a "biker guy" and he was forever doing all of this and then still had the cheek to complain about how much he spent on tyres!!!!

[AndreaL]

I agree about the banking PhillipJ

I used to internet bank in Namibia and so wanted the same here.

I am with NAB and as long as x amount is paid into the account monthly I have no banking fees whatsoever, even using other banks atms.

My 55 day interest free credit card costs around $30 per year and gives me free travel insurance and an extended 6 months warranty when using it to purchase goods.

If my card is used unknown to me I am not liable and the bank will refund me.

And I just love the whole Bpay thing here to pay your bills, everything is so easy.

I tend to stay away from direct debits as the banks really sock you if funds are short.

To pay, telephone/internet, Austar, G.E credit, rent, electricity, medical insurance, savings account etc takes 10 minutes a month.

And the interest rate on my isaver account is fairly good.

Nothing wrong there.

[Cindylou]

About the banking system: I don't know why anyone would complain about the banking system in Aus though.

Having worked in banking on both sides of the ocean perhaps I can add a little to this:

Internet banking is free and bank fees a flat $5 per month. In SA I paid about R280 bank fees per month plus a R19 Internet banking fee (2003).

In SA I kept a balance of R5000 in my account in order not to pay ANY fees, here the amount is AUD5000 to be "fee free"

Also, from Australia I can transfer funds to any overseas bank account from any location (even my sofa), via internet banking . This is not possible from SA. You cannot transfer money except through Reserve bank approval which is a pain in the backside.

This is due to the banks in SA being subject to the laws of the country and has nothing to do with the banking system.

Maybe only particular banks? I am with ANZ and it's the best bank I've ever been with.

I know that a friend tried to deposit USD into another friend's account with ANZ and was told that he was not able to do so unless he also banked with them, so he had to go up the road to his own bank, change the currency and then go back to ANZ to make the deposit! wierd....

All of the Aussie banks are streets behind SA banks in terms of technology, but that also applies when SA banks are compared to UK or US banks. I was amazed at the challenges faced here that were dealt with a decade ago in SA. Does it bother me? Not at all - at leaset I know I'll have work in the industry for another ten years!

[PhillipJ]

In SA I kept a balance of R5000 in my account in order not to pay ANY fees, here the amount is AUD5000 to be "fee free"

I too don't pay any fees for having my morgage with them. Still $5 a month is nothing compared to R300+ if you don't keep the balance $5000.

This is due to the banks in SA being subject to the laws of the country and has nothing to do with the banking system.

Still something that is not possible in SA regardsless. It's not only about technology but convenience. I know SA banks have the technology, that's not the question. Bottomline, you can't transfer international funds from a SA bank.

I know that a friend tried to deposit USD into another friend's account with ANZ and was told that he was not able to do so unless he also banked with them, so he had to go up the road to his own bank, change the currency and then go back to ANZ to make the deposit! wierd....

I've been doing international transfers for years (to parents in SA) and never had issues.

All of the Aussie banks are streets behind SA banks in terms of technology, but that also applies when SA banks are compared to UK or US banks. I was amazed at the challenges faced here that were dealt with a decade ago in SA. Does it bother me? Not at all - at leaset I know I'll have work in the industry for another ten years!

Very debatable....I also know someone who work in the electronic side of the banking system with a different view. Anyway, does not matter. No gold medals for which banking system has best technology. In SA I knew I was ripped off big time by the banks, here I feel I get value for my $0 bank fees (or $5 if you don't get the free banking).

PhillipJ

[Rover]

Hoon is a derogatory term used in Australia and New Zealand to refer to a person who engages in loutish, anti-social behaviour. In particular, it is used to refer to one who drives in a manner which is anti-social by the standards of contemporary society, that is, fast, noisily or dangerously. Hoon activities can include speeding, street racing, burnouts, doughnuts or screeching brakes.[1] Those commonly identified as being involved in "hooning" or street racing are young, predominantly male drivers in the age range of 16 and 25 years.[2]

In other words, people driving like they're in South Africa?

Edited January 14, 2009 by Rover

[AandJ]

I bank with ANZ and their service is 100 times better than I ever had from any bank in SA.

What is the difference between a Hoon and a Hillbilly and a Bogan?

[AndreaL]

Hillbilly is a term referring to people who dwell in remote, rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia and the Ozarks. Due to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of Ozarkan and Appalachian heritage. However, the term is also used in celebration of their culture by mountain people themselves. Such co-opting and neutralizing use is almost exclusively reserved for Appalachian people themselves.

The term bogan (pronounced /ˈboʊgən/, rhyming with slogan) is Australian and New Zealand English slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for a person who is, or is perceived to be, of a lower-class background. According to the stereotype, the speech and mannerisms of "bogans" indicate, poor education, cheap clothing and uncultured upbringing. 'Bogans' usually reside in economically disadvantaged suburbs (often outer metropolitan) or rural areas[1].

The term is a close regional equivalent to the English term Chav or Pikey, Scottish term Ned, Irish term Scanger or Spide and the North American terms White Trash and Hillbilly.

Again sourced at wikepedia

[Jill]

LOL, LYNN, if you can manage to push that trolley all the way home with all the wheels going in different directions, I think you deserve to keep it.

bye for now Jill

[Jordy]

In other words, people driving like they're in South Africa?

You cannot even begin to compare a hoon to anything in South Africa. When they start doing those burnouts and wheel spinning donuts outside your bedroom window at 2am in the morning then you will realise what a hoon is. If you didnt know the master bedrooms in Aus houses are in the from of the house, first room after you walk into the house. So you sleep right on the street.

[MANDYL]

Has anyone mentioned the creepy crawlies......got a couple of them crawling and flying around. Mozzies !!! Sandies !!!! and fruit bats - are a bit scary

[ZLeigh]

Wow.

Now I reallyw ant to go. I'm being horribly ripped of by my bank. And I try to avoid going there as much as possible. Nothing I hate more in the entire world than a bank,.

Thanks for all your input.

[IslandStyle]

They have Foxtel and Austar which are equivalent to DSTV... not quite as good as DSTV, but many better programmes.

I didn't quite 'get' this one? ;] Care to clarify please?

[IslandStyle]

Another site of interest relates to the Human Development Index:

The Human Development Index

Not surprisingly, Australia is ranked at #3.

Edited January 14, 2009 by Wynand

[zorba]

Hi,

Further to the debate about the banks here...it doesn't matter who has inside knowledge, or which bank or country has better technology.

At the end of the day what matters to me as the CUSTOMER is that my charges are low, my money is safe and the customer service is OUTSTANDING...all the things I have personally experienced since I started banking at ANZ.

How the "behind the scenes" support team achieve this is of no importance to me as a customer.

No charges for internet banking, $5 monthly flat service fee - no minimum balance required, free ATM withdrawals and balance enquiries at ANZ ATM's, no deposit fees...what more could I ask for?

The only hiccup we had was when withholding tax was deducted from one of our accounts (joint account with hubby) because I had not supplied my personal TFN, only hubby's. When I supplied the TFN the deduction was immediately reversed, VOILA!

Happy banking!

[Cindylou]

Further to the debate about the banks here...it doesn't matter who has inside knowledge, or which bank or country has better technology.

Happy banking!

Absolutely agree, Zorba. I don't have a single issue with the banks here - the customer service is great, the choices are marvelous and, as you say, my money here is safer than it ever was in SA! The only reason I responded to the 'bank" post was in the interests of honesty and to provide a balanced point of view, for eg, you can't knock an industry for adhering to the laws of the host country.

if you can manage to push that trolley all the way home with all the wheels going in different directions, I think you deserve to keep it.

Thanks for the reminder, Jill - now there's something I really struggle with!

[Sheila2oz]

ANZ Internet banking is only operating Monday - Friday. If you do transfers on a Saturday, it will only be calculating from Monday.

The Mozzies and creepies is all over, hand more spiders here in my house in a year than 15 years in SA.

[candivw]

I cant really contribute properly as I have only been here 10 days but this is what i have noticed so far that I dont like:

- The water, has an aweful taste to it, not sure if it is like this everywhere in oz??

- Hoons- we has some outside our window last fri night, biggest flithiest mouths you have ever heard, I am not prude and my brother is a youngester on RSA but these youngsters really have a prob!! BUT it has only happened once so I cant complain, we will see what this weekend brings.

- Houses- nice houses are few and far between, dont get me wrong u do get lovely ones, a friend of mine in Carramar has one but the ozzies like their bedrooms on the road, not what i like!

- The graffiti is a prob but they do their best to remove it.

- No petrol attendants.....I miss RSA petrol stations and the garages are always so busy around here

[zorba]

Hi,

I have never seen a house with the bedroom on the road. There are none like that in our neighbourhood - and I have been to quite a few. When we were looking at rentals I also never saw any like that.

Is it just a "state" thing maybe? A certain builder got a bee in his bonnet? Weird.

[Jordy]

Hi,

I have never seen a house with the bedroom on the road. There are none like that in our neighbourhood - and I have been to quite a few. When we were looking at rentals I also never saw any like that.

Is it just a "state" thing maybe? A certain builder got a bee in his bonnet? Weird.

Zorba what I meant was that (in WA) the master bedroom with ensuite bathroom is situated in the front of the house right by the front door closest to the street. If you look out the window of the master bedroom you would look onto the front lawn and onto the street. In the middle of the house is the lounge, kitchen and dining room. The children's bedrooms are situated at the back of the house furthest away from the street. The middle section (lounge kitchen dining room) seperating them from the parents.

This style of layout is great if you have teenage kids and want to be far away from them, but if you have toddlers and babies they are too far away from the parents room and mom and dad would not hear baby's cry.

This style if virtually every single hous eI have been into. If you walk into any house in WA and look immediately to the left of the front door you will looking staright at a double bed.

Where is the master bedroom situated in the layout in NSW houses?

Edited January 16, 2009 by Jordy

[Nilo]

Nah Zorba, it's not only in WA it's in Qld too!! And it's not just a builder or Architect that's being silly it's actually more the rule. Offcourse it's not every single house but a very many!! Have a look on Realeastate.com at some of the houses available in let say Northlakes Brisbane. I chose this area because of the modern building style and newness of the area.

[candivw]

Yip, out of 10 houses 9 will have the bedroom in the front next to the front door, the one we have chosen luckily has a lounge at the front door and a passage with bedrooms down both sides.

[ZLeigh]

Maybe it's like this for parents of teenagers? You can hear them if they try to sneak out at night. lol.

[Gizmo]

Some small pet peeves:

The traffic lights in Perth say red for EVER!!! I swear, you could take out a book and read it if you get caught on red!

The trolleys at the shops wheels all swivel! This makes manoeverbility very tricky and turning near impossible!

If you come from South Africa (whose road rules are almost the same), you have to re-do your car licence - this entails a written exam and a practical driving exam. However, if you come from say Germany where they drive on the other side of the road and follow quite different road rules, your licence is automatically changed to an Aus licence with no testing at all!!!

[Superkruz]

the utes (bakkies) look funny.