Mercado Pago and new Central Bank regulation

[lunar]

I went on Tuesday and met with a young guy who spoke with me in English. I didn't have my password with me, so nothing could be done. I waited one hour in line on Friday afternoon to talk with bank personnel. I have no cash, my new debit card isn't functioning although I entered information during a call to an automated 800 number, and I can't get into my account through Home Banking.

Jantango,

You need to go to their office with your DNI and the card and ask them to reset your password (blanquear el clave). If the clerk gives you this "nothing could be done" shit again, ask to talk to his manager. Probably, you will need to sign a request and they will make a copy of your DNI at this point.

Normally, after that you are supposed to go to the ATM and set up a new password. Ask them to go with you to the ATM and guide you through the process.

Then with the new password you should be able to access your online banking.

Be persistent!

 

[Redpossum]

Oh, this all sounds so familiar...

 

[jantango]

Thank you Lunar for posting helpful information. I'm planning on going early tomorrow morning so this situation is resolved. I cannot go another day without access to my account. I'm not surprised that others know this situation.

 

[jantango]

Today I couldn't laugh during my visit to the bank, I almost cried out of frustration. Murphy's law was operating.

I was at the door by 9:15, 45 minutes before the bank opened. First the guard was rude to me at the door, and I had to insist to speak with someone. Then the person who I thought called my name said I was not the person she called. She did not treat me with respect either. After a long conversation, she gave me pages of instructions on how to restore my user name at the ATM. I don't use a cell that she needed to send an SMS. She thought I would be able to restore my user name at an ATM, but it requires the same card used to establish the user name. The card expired, so I cut it up. The new debit card still doesn't function after the first attempt to activate it.

I needed cash so my only option was a withdrawal with a bank teller. He handed me the balance of my account before even asking me how much I wanted to withdraw. I finally got the amount I needed.

I gave the new debit card another try at the health food shop. Nope, it didn't work even though I did the activation process again last night to the 800 number. I paid with the cash I withdrew today at the bank.

I received an email that my account had been accessed when the bank employee was trying to fix the problem. My next attempt is calling the 800 number for assistance.

 

[lunar]

I don't use a cell that she needed to send an SMS.

Is paying 25 bucks for a dumb phone still out of the question? Or may be even 150 for a basic smartphone?
If you don't want to use it for calls for some reason, just consider it to be a commonly used security device.

If they consider restoring the access to be a "tramite presencial", you will not be able to resolve it by calling the 800 number.

I think you absolutely need to have a cellphone at least for emergency calls.
All it takes is a dumb cell phone, prepaid SIM card and balance for like 20 minutes of voice calls. After that you can just add 5-10 pesos to the balance every few months to keep the line active.