Rise of the Bureaucrats!

I've just applied for credit cards. Apparently you can't get a credit card if you're 1 month into a job but 7 weeks later is just fine and dandy. Never mind that I've actually owned credit cards before and my credit history is very good. ie. always pay bills on time, no outstanding balances each month etc. And since I applied for these cards online, I'd been sent verification documents. So far so good.

But there's a catch. I need supporting documents to prove who I am and that I live at a certain address. Since I've only just moved, I've no bills sent to my new address as yet (I used to maintain a PO Box and utility bills are mailed quarterly). My driver's licence still showed a previous address since I've been too lazy to update it and silly me thought that a passport and a tenancy agreement (plus payment slips) would suffice. How wrong I was. The clerk who processed it told me that I had insufficient proof of ID.

Now this sucks, because I really want my credit cards ASAP for cash management reasons (I hate paying transaction fees on my cheque/everyday/transaction account and I also hate carrying too much cash around) . Unable to outfox the gatekeepers that be, I registered a change of address with the local RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority to the non Aussies) online. One week later, I still hadn't received my sticker from the RTA so I went down in person to one of the registries to pick up a sticker. At no time, during this process with the RTA, did I have to prove that I lived at the specified address.

Back I went, with my newly amended driver's licence to get those credit card verification documents sorted out. This time everything was processed with no hassle. What did I use for verification? Just my driver's licence.

Consider this: I had several documents to prove that 1. I am who I say I am; 2. I live at the said address, the first time round. But my application was rejected. Yet, a document/card that required less verification and authentication got me what I wanted. Is this insane? Yes, I think so.