Madam, – An Post regularly asks people to avail of their banking services. I have had great difficulty in doing so.
At the beginning of this year I went into my local post office, with €40, to open a small savings account. I was told that because of money-laundering considerations, I would have to give them my PPS number. I didn’t know it off-hand so I rang the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and they read the number out to me.
I went back to my post office. They told me An Post wouldn’t accept the number in the form in which I was giving it to them. Did I have a Social Services card which would show my number? Or could I get the department to put the number on official department notepaper? If I ever had a Social Services card it was a long time ago, and I had no idea where it might be. I rang the Department of Social and Family Affairs again and told them my problem. Could they send me the number on headed paper? No, they could only send me the number as part of an official communication from them, through their computer. They had no reason to send me an official communication. After I explained my problem the person at the other end finally said they would try to send me out a letter manually. It never came.
I rang the department again. Could they issue me with a new Social Services card?
No, they couldn’t do that because I was not in direct receipt of any social service. The last social service payment I would have got would have been a children’s allowance for my youngest son, who is now 33 years of age. Our joint Old Age Pension is paid on my husband’s Social Services card. What could the department suggest? The person at the other end had no idea, and could offer no help.
A new medical card, with my number on it, arrived in the post for me. Delighted, I went into the post office only to be told that my medical card wasn’t acceptable either. They had been accepting medical cards until very recently but had been told that medical cards were no longer acceptable. However, they had very kindly rung An Post head office on my behalf. It seemed a birth certificate, with my maiden name on it, would be acceptable. I am 75 years of age. I haven’t used the name on that birth certificate on any official document for over 45 years. But it will be acceptable for opening an account. That’s okay then? – Yours, etc,