Banca Intesa online banking fail

[Jonathan]

I have been a happy customer of Banca Intesa for several years. Until recently I was only allowed a foreigner's account, useful only for paying bills and saving cash as it had no card or online capabilities.

Recently, thanks to having a new permanent residence visa, I was open to open a full resident's account with bank cards and...drum roll....Internet banking.

I am sorry to report it is one of the worst internet banking services I have seen.

• Only Internet explorer is supported! In this day and age to only support the worst browser on earth is insane. Mac users are completely disabled unless they run a Windows Virtual machine (as I do). As are Linux users.
• Its UGLY. Dire fonts, Orange! See Below....(some obscuring)..
  
• The website has the option to use an English version, but there is no English version once you log in to Online Banking. You have to understand Serbian or you are lost.

In other words, you need to be a Windows using Serbian speaker who can tolerate white on orange on a website.

Not many foreigners can handle that.

I hear that Unicredit is excellent and their online banking supports are OSs and browsers, plus it is in English if needed.

[Jules]

Thank god I am not alone in thinking this was the biggest load of rubbish I had ever seen!!!!! I have been struggling with this system for so long!!! When I need anything done I print the screen from the online account and take it into the branch for them to try and fathom it out, needless to say I get everything done in the branch now!!
Thanks for sharing this, I don't feel as if I am the only one anymore, hopefully someone at Intesa will read this and do something about it!!!
Jules

[papasfritas]

I've been using their e-banking for years without any problems, I agree though that most online banking in Serbia is horrible and this one is ugly and confusing but you get used to it and it sure beats going to the bank to get anything done.

Erste bank also has multi-browser multi-platform e-banking

[cathal]

I have an online account with BancaIntesa - but they won't allow me an ATM card, as I don't have a work or residence permit.

Yet HypoAlpeAdria do afford me such a card.

I can use an English language version of the BancaIntesa website once logged on...

second the orange colour dislike!!

see u chief >>

cb^

[UKBelgrader]

I'm with Raiffaisen.

I only needed a temporary residence visa and a letter of confirmation of temporary residence from the police station on Savska to get a proper resident's account with online banking, ATM cards and even credit cards etc if I wanted them. Couldn't be happier.

I originally went to Banca Intesa and they weren't having any of it. What use is a bank account if I can't do normal things with it?

[AnthonyB]

Yes Instesa is complete shite when it comes to personal bank accounts. Their E-banking for businesses is pretty awesome though. You get a smart card reader and a smart card and it uses its own software instead of using an internet browser.

When I tried to get a personal checking account with Intesa they told me that I couldn't get any account because my white card was not older than a year. I showed them passport with residency visas from the past 2 years and they didn't care.

I have a checking account with raiffeisen and their online banking also requires IE. The only time I really use it is when I'm abroad and need to move money into the euros account in order to withdraw money at the ATM.

[danilo_vancouver]

weird.

I don't have any kind of residency permit, but they gave me a atm/visa card at Banka Intesa. I haven't been able to figure out the online banking and, than ks to Jonathan I now know why - I'm using a mac.

[Matthuffy]

I once banked with Intesa and I handed them a check to cash into my account from Google. three months later they called me to go into the branch and they told me that the check had expired so they could not cash it. It had expired 2 days before they called me, so what the hell were they doing with it for 3 months ?? After that I closed my account and just use my Barclay's as it is far simpler and they actually do some work there.

[UKBelgrader]

That's real weird Danilo.

Do you have a Serbian passport? Not sure why they would give you bank cards and online banking when they would not give me it even with a newly issued 1 year visa and 2 years worth of previous visas!

[danilo_vancouver]

I have nothing. No Serbian passport/documents, no Serbian visa - I'm basically a tourist. I was renovating a house and moving a lot of money through my account. I also have signing authority on my Dad's accounts (also no Serbian citizenship or papers of any kind), but those accounts were open for decades. I had my account for a year. Maybe they made an exception. But, there was no conversation. I just asked at the shalter "can I have a bank card" and they said "sure".

Then again, I didn't even ask at my normal branch, so I don't know. I'm really more inclined to think that you were dealing with someone who didn't want to do the paperwork. The website seems to suggest that you can get a card without having a regular income, you just need to make a deposit of 200 euros (http://www.bancaintesabeograd.rs/cod...te.aspx?Id=580). They don't say anything about which documents you need. Maybe try again at the branch I got mine. It was at the one on the corner of Zorana Djindjic bulevard and Miletija Popovica in N. Beograd.

I wonder if it makes any difference that I have some kind of "foreigners' foreign money" account. I can't do any dinar-denominated transactions through my account and I pay triple when paying bills. They said my internet banking (to which I've never successfully logged on) would be limited to checking my balance. After all this, I think that that's it.