Monday, January 29
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No money
I fucked myself. I made an ASS out of U and ME. I assumed that when I signed banking paperwork during my last month at Nova I was signing over permission for them to mail me my last pay check and the rest of my account. The reality was I only signed over permission for them to mail me my last pay check.
Now all my money sits in a steel vault in Tokyo and unless I can hire Ocean's 11, I am going to have a hard time getting my money.
Nova did all the paperwork so I don't even know where my branch is. I never use my bank book so that was trashed. I don't know my account number. I even lost my bank card during my flight back over here (my friends in Japan could have used it to withdraw money for me if I gave them my PIN).
I went to the SMBC (the bank I used) Toronto branch office but found out that they only deal with domestic corporations and it was not a personal banking branch office. The man was very nice, but I could only tell him my name and ask for my money. I was bascially, "My name is Joseph. How can I get my money while giving you no other information?" And yes, he asked all the things I didn't have answers for. He even asked me if I knew how much money was in the bank and I gave him a really nasty ballpark figure. I never paid attention to that sort of thing because I wanted to surprise myself with how much I saved.
I am pretty surprised.
I then went to Nova in Toronto and they told me that the branch was almost always shinjuku, but they have nothing to do with my banking except for setting it up and depositing money there. They suggest I contact Nova head office for further advice, which is the stage I'm at now.
I asked if I could apply for a new card or an international card, but I was told, not if I'm in Canada.
Any advice?
UPDATE: Nova Head office cannot help me. They did however give me the telephone number for my SMBC bank with the disclaimer that their English is very poor. My father suggested I book an appointment with my bank manager here in Canada and have him arrange a wire transfer with SMBC. Maybe bank language is universal. However, before I do that, I at least need my account number, which is what I'm now gunning for.
Once I get the account number I have a decision to make. Do I try the tricky way or the striaght forward way. The tricky way is that I apply for a new bank card and have it sent to my address (SMBC does not know I moved back to Canada) and have my roomate (who I trust) use it to withdraw my funds, put it in his account and then write me a check. Or do I call SMBC and just explain my hopeless situation. If I call, I may be voiding my opportunity to do the new card tricky way, because once I explain my situation, they will flag anyone trying to withdraw or ask why I want a card sent to an address I no longer live at.
UPDATE 2 I've gotten all my Japanese banking information. I've gotten all my Canadian banking information. Tonight, morning in Japan, I will call and ask for a wire transfer. I hope all they will need is for me to fax my signature or copy of my passport.
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