🆔 New format for ARC/APRC number is not accepted--testing and reporting thread

[lostinasia]

@dan2006

But there is no excuse for these companies to take decades to realize there is a problem.

The sad part that I sort of hate saying: how big a problem is it for them, really? They’re forgoing X amount of sales rather than spending Y amount of time and money now to get the tech working properly. I suspect most of the people in charge of these decisions simply don’t think we’re worth the trouble. Actually, scratch that - most of the people don’t even know it’s an issue. The people who do know either don’t think we’re worth the trouble, or don’t have the clout to change anything. (Or they’re stuck with changing the company’s website every two weeks to speed up link rot, and therefore don’t have the time to make a positive change.)

[dan2006]

That’s a big issue too unfortunately. What percentage of potential clients would be foreigners. Then what percentage of them would even need the product. So the math gets crunched, they realize its not profitable and they say screw it who cares.

The issue I see is businesses and government agencies that go out of their way to say no foreigners. It wasn’t an afterthought because they thought enough to say we aren’t invited to apply, someone went out of their way to throw up a blockage.

[Steve4nLanguage]

@lostinasia

(Or they’re stuck with changing the company’s website every two weeks to speed up link rot, and therefore don’t have the time to make a positive change.)

Classic!

[DesiInTaipei]

How I wish some big diplomat’s kid faces trouble booking tickets online. Systems will be fixed by 9am the next day.

[tando]

@DesiInTaipei

common sense would suggest there are other factors at play than mere mass stupidity over decades.

there is no force to change things working for Taiwanese.

[frank_hnd]

Yesterday, I started the painful process of updating my bank accounts with my new UI…

Went to ChangHwa bank in the morning, took 45 mins and made me sign a paper saying I don’t have US citizenship.

Went to Standard Chartered in the afternoon, took 1h 15mins and a lot of paperwork, had to cancel my debit card and online banking account and get a new one. credit card will take a few days to appear linked to my new account. I thought I just needed to update my ID no…

I was planning on going to CTBC today but goddamn I can feel it is going to be the worst of them all. although Fubon might be a contender.

[boaz25]

Sorry to hear that, man. My CTBC update was super easy (10 minutes or so), no questions asked and I could even keep my old debit card and that stupid booklet

[Belgian_Pie]

@frank_hnd

Ministry of Labor told me I do not need to update my Work Permit as long as my passport number remains the same.

Which makes the APRC as ID worthless. And it’s nonsense what they say, if your passport gets renewed you need to get an update on your APRC anyways, which is also totally crap as it makes your APRC not an ID.

[dan2006]

It’s silly anyway because many companies want us to carry our passports everywhere to sign up for things.
it’s like they don’t trust their own country’s ID process

[frank_hnd]

@dan2006

It’s silly anyway because many companies want us to carry our passports everywhere to sign up for things.
it’s like they don’t trust their own country’s ID process

I couldn’t do any updates without the passport, I wish I had applied for my Taiwanese passport before I went there to show them that one instead and see how they reacted.

[frank_hnd]

@Belgian_Pie

Which makes the APRC as ID worthless.

It is basically a more convenient VISA…

[Andrew]

@frank_hnd

I couldn’t do any updates without the passport, I wish I had applied for my Taiwanese passport before I went there to show them that one instead and see how they reacted.

I imagine they’d have fainted like a Southern belle then called their managers over to ask how to enter into the system that someone has a Taiwanese passport but is still “a foreigner”.

[frank_hnd]

@Andrew

I imagine they’d have fainted like a Southern belle then called their managers over to ask how to enter into the system that someone has a Taiwanese passport but is still “a foreigner”.

Actually, screw it. I will go to CTBC next week after I get my Taiwan passport to see how they react.

[DesiInTaipei]

Fainting Tainan belle

[Andrew]

@frank_hnd

Actually, screw it. I will go to CTBC next week after I get my Taiwan passport to see how they react.

Do it…and please report back!

[frank_hnd]

@Andrew

Do it…and please report back!

Will do.
I am actually surprised no one has noticed that TARC doesn’t show my passport number so they can’t force me to use my original passport.

[boaz25]

@boaz25

did those who are not Gold Card holders get a new “A” number as well or was the initial letter still bound to the NIA office where you applied?

Update on this. The Gold Card office has just confirmed (as @fifieldt correctly predicted) that NIA made a mistake with my new ARC number, which should have been an “E” instead of an “A”. They guaranteed in writing that this will not affect my future plans to apply for APRC, so it won’t be changed. I will keep their message on my records

[slawa]

@slawa

Yesterday I got a SMS that they are working on a fix and it will take 2-4 weeks to make ID number changes possible for EasyWallet.

Today I got a message that my ID number was changed on the EasyWallet.
Indeed I was finally able to add my Cathay United Bank account again.

But when adding Chang Hwa Bank, I get error message that a link is already in place. I have removed it previously, because it stopped working due to ID number mismatch on EasyWallet and bank account.

Waiting for the support to fix this last issue.

Credits to them for being responsive and trying to fix the problem.

[FenjaJie]

I’m waiting for the first “I still have the old ID number and this bank/business won’t accept it anymore”

[dan2006]

I’m keeping my card until that exact moment. Once I know the problems have been ironed out, its time to switch. Hoping companies put in some streamlined processes in the future