When banks just point blank refuse to issue credit cards or even accept applications from foreigners who are already long standing local resident bank account holders in their bank.
Sure they do.
They are always offering my wife loans and credit cards and she doesn’t even work lol.
When it comes to loans without a 'local guarantor ’ it’s really difficult and in fact often impossible to get a loan.
And foreigners are NOT permitted to apply for preferential bank loans ar low interest online , I know we aske ten different banks. It’s literally written on the terms and conditions (need Taiwan ID).
Only China trust out of ten banks offered me a personal loan (offline check with broker ) but I needed to agree to twice the best rate on offer (3% IIRC) I didn’t bother draw the the loan either because the amount was too little, limited to 2 million ntd (they checked my salary and bank account they know my finances are good…But they still offered me a high rate only ).
The banks also will only loan against collateral in Taiwan usually and they want to see the ‘huji’ , so it’s really hard for foreigners to get onto the property ladder without their wife husband family backing it up .
The financial system is all set up for foreigners to NOT succeed in Taiwan .
Fortunately this led me to invest my money in cryptocurrency since I hate the banks here so much .
I can’t see why, despite exceeding the metrics of my colleagues, why I face a struggle while people half my income breeze through it.
If you are a Taiwanese citizen and the “correct“ race, you have no idea what you’re talking about.
I opened an account with Standard Chartered Bank. I tried to apply for a credit card, a Visa. I was told that “Foreigners can’t have credit cards.”
I wasn’t afforded the opportunity to fill out an application or have my finances and assets considered. I was denied based on my citizenship only.
I insisted that the clerk check with the manager. She called upstairs and said, “I have a foreigner here who is requesting a credit card.” The manager who I never saw allegedly told her the same thing. “Foreigners can’t have a credit card.”
This has happened at every bank to which I’ve applied over the past 21+ years I’ve lived here.
Costco, BNQ have refused to allow me to even fill out an application simply because I’m a foreigner.
That’s straight up discrimination.
The overwhelming majority of outsiders in Taiwan come from South East Asian countries. Ask them.
A few Europeans who live a comfortable life are not going to complain. Hell I’m one of them. I even have a wife. My life is heaven. But I see the suffering in my colleagues and other outsiders is interact with.
Because I’m married to a Taiwanese I get treated better is all situations.
If their web sites say one thing, and they do another, it sounds more like a training issue: the employees haven’t dealt with foreigners so they don’t know what to do. I’d bring a printout of their policies and show them…
Some countries from Africa and the Caribbean have embassies. Most others have an economic office. Which operates like an embassy.
Do you get paid a wage to do their job?
My country has neither…Hence ‘what representatives’.
Nice apologism for blatant discrimination.
I’m sorry to hear that. It makes it especially hard.
You are wearing our your welcome. I will forget to be nice to you, must be a training issue.
Except when they keep looking at her to translate for you even when you’re ordering off the menu in Chinese?
I always assume incompetence before malice unless I can prove otherwise.
Because they can’t understand my Chinese?
@MalcolmReynolds probably did too the first few times, but after a while the pattern becomes pretty obvious.
and then you’d be mollified with some empty happy platitues, and sent to a manager upstairs who will also bu hao yi si you with some generic things and ignore it.
Either way the end result is the same and neither are an acceptable excuse. Discrimination is discrimination.
I think patience is required with people that are incompetent or ignorant. They can learn. A lot of times you may be the first wai guo ren they’re dealing with in a real life situation. That’s not excusing it, but understanding why they’re nervous.
The only times I think you really see malice towards Western foreigners in TW is if they start becoming business competition and/or you’ve broken some social norm in a way in some way that pisses off the locals. If you go out of your box you’ll see more push back.
Wrong again. I’ve got through all the hoops. Even used the dog collar and dog lead trick.