Citizens in China are facing obstacles when trying to withdraw their own money from banks. A recent incident occurred at a branch of China Bank in Boluoyuanzhou, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, where a man who had deposited 100,000 yuan in his account could only withdraw 3,000 yuan when he urgently needed a larger amount.
On September 27, a netizen shared a video online revealing the frustrating experience he had at the bank. Despite having his ID and bank card with him, the man was asked to provide a third-party certification in order to withdraw his own funds.
The video uploader later explained to media outlets that when he tried to withdraw the money, the bank staff questioned the source of the funds. He explained that a friend had transferred the money to help him in an emergency situation, and luckily, his friend was present to provide the transfer records and ID photos. However, the bank staff insisted on seeing the original ID of his friend, leading to a delay as the friend had to return home to retrieve it for verification before the withdrawal was processed.
The uploader expressed relief that his friend lived nearby. He highlighted the absurdity of the situation by questioning what would have happened if the friend lived hundreds of kilometers away, rendering the urgent need for the life-saving money meaningless.
Attempts to reach the Huizhou Boluoyuanzhou branch and Huizhou branch of China Bank for comments were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered.
Netizens from various regions shared similar frustrating experiences with banking procedures in China. An online user from Anhui commented, “Why is depositing money so easy but withdrawing money so difficult?” Another netizen from Chongqing shared a personal anecdote of struggling to pay school fees for his child due to withdrawal restrictions, expressing relief only after issuing a strong complaint at the bank branch. Users from Guangdong and Shanxi echoed the sentiment that banks make it challenging for customers to withdraw cash, with one remarking on the lack of freedom in withdrawals compared to the ease of making deposits.