Money Matters

We had a little problem with SKY a few weeks back when all of a sudden it would not work anymore. Through some friends who speak Italian, and a customer service rep who spoke English, we managed to discover that we were supposed to pay a bill, though we had never received one. We paid it over the phone and the service was restored. We hear that one has not truly lived in Italy until you have had at least one service cut off for nonpayment. Friends have told us stories of water, gas, and electricity being cut off, mostly because they did not receive a bill.

Bills are only sent out every 2-6 months and are usually due within a week of the time that you receive them, though sometimes you don't receive them until after they are due. When you don't receive your bills consistently, it is hard to know when to expect them and whether you are missing one. Checks are almost nonexistent in Italy, so you do not just write a check and send it in. Internet payment is in its infancy here, so that is not really an option either. The most common way to pay bills is to take them to the post office. The bill actually comes with a little form that is just used to pay through the post office. You must pay in cash, no checks or credit cards.

Most transactions in Italy are done in cash. The Bancomat (ATM) machine on the corner by Emily's school is always busy. Some of the larger stores, especially chains, will accept credit or Bancomat (debit) cards, but most smaller, local stores only take cash. Stores also will not issue refunds for returned merchandise. You can only get store credit.

Today I had my first experience at an Italian bank other than the one on the US Army base. Jeff got a parking ticket last week when he took Emily to her guitar lesson at school. Parking tickets must be paid within 8 days, or the fine doubles. We were actually told by a couple of the British folks here not to pay it, because the license on our car is issued through the US Army base and the number is not available in the regular Italian license database. They said that the Army would not release the information about who owns the car or where they live to the police, so they would not find us and make us pay it. However, we decided to play it safe and pay the fine. With Jeff's luck, the rules would change, and the Army would, as a gesture of goodwill, open their database to the Italian police, and they would come and charge us some huge amount for this unpaid parking ticket.

Anyway, the only way to pay the parking ticket was to take it to the Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara (the local bank) and pay in cash. I knew where the bank was, because I pass by it every day on the way to Emily's school, but I had never been inside. I dropped Emily off this morning and waited a few minutes until the bank opened at 8:30. By the way, the bank is only open from 8:30-1:30, and 2:45-3:45. Talk about banker's hours!

I went into the vestibule of the bank and was immediately intimidated when I could not see how to enter. There was a door, but it was locked, and had a sign with an arrow pointing to the right that said Entrata (Entrance). In the direction of the arrow were very large (person sized) plastic tubes in the wall, but they both said Uscita (Exit) and gave no indication of how to go in. I read the note on the door that said no bags, cell phones, or metal items could be brought in. I turned around and found lockers (like you find in amusement parks) in the vestibule for depositing these forbidden items. I got the ticket and money out and put my purse and umbrella in a locker. Fortunately, at that point, someone else came in and pushed a button in between the two tubes. The plastic part that said Uscita opened and he stepped through. It remained open, so I went in, too.

I presented the ticket and money to the cashier and completed the transaction. I then went back to the tubes, and one opened, so I stepped inside. The part behind me closed, and I was standing inside the plastic tube, closed on both sides. At that moment I felt like I was going to be beamed up to the Starship Enterprise. Then the part in front of me opened and I stepped out into the vestibule, collected my things, and was on my way. I wish I could have taken a picture of these doors, but I think that would have been frowned upon. It was literally like a plastic tube that opened on both sides to let you in and out. Standing inside, it was very much like one of the pneumatic tubes that you put the capsule into when you send transactions to the teller at the bank drive-through, except that the doors slid to the side, instead of sliding up and down. I don't suppose that they have very many bank robberies here!