Credit Agricole Online Access

[Richard T]

I opened an account with CA Centre Ouest and asked about internet access and was given the URL. I went to the web site and registered and received my PIN by post. When I tried to access the account using the 11 digit account number and inputting the PIN by the funny grid thing I got the message "Votre saisie n'est pas autorisee pour la conexxion, veuillez contacter votre agence."

I went into the bank the next time I was in France and they said they needed to make a modification. They completed a "Contrat de Acces Essential" and assured me that with 24 hours everything would be OK.

Just tried again and I still get the same message. I don't believe I have locked myself out as I've actually had a new PIN sent so I'ved tried the same thing very carefully quite a few times. As I'm in the UK at the moment it's a bit awkward to contact the bank other than by email but before I do I just wonderd if anyone out there had had a similar experience and might be able to tell me if I'm doing something wrong.

Any advice gratefully received.

Richard T

[AnOther]

For what it's worth mine worked straight out of the box so to speak and if you're inputting the numbers correctly it can only be a snaffu on their part unfortunately.

Your PIN number should be 6 digits BTW, is it ?

 

[Richard T]

Yes it's 6 digits.

Richard T

[BJSLIV]

We are not with CA,  but with both our UK bank and our French account you don't use your ordinary account number.

You  input an Internet Banking ID  number  to identify yourself before you enter the PIN number.

Might be worth checking all the scraps of paper that came from CA.

 

 

[Richard T]

CA ask for the account number unless I am misunderstanding. The login screen is accessed here and then click Accédez à Vos Comptes.

Richard T

[BJSLIV]

Certainly looks like the ordinary account number is needed.

You haven't got your browser security set at a high level to reject cookies? That kind of thing sometimes causes problems, though I would have expected some sort of warning message back from the bank website.

[AnOther]

[quote user="Richard T"]CA ask for the account number unless I am misunderstanding. The login screen is accessed here and then click Accédez à Vos Comptes.[/quote]Looks spot on Richard, 11 digit A/C No. then 6 digit PIN code.

The reason for that 'funny grid thing' is so that you don't type the numbers in which adds a layer of protection against keylogger trojans.

 

[Bugsy]

CA issue you with a code for initial access and setting up purposes, it is not a password to access your account!

Once your online account is set up, you access it with your account number and the password you created when you set up the online service.

[Richard T]

[quote user="Bugbear"]

CA issue you with a code for initial access and setting up purposes, it is not a password to access your account!

Once your online account is set up, you access it with your account

number and the password you created when you set up the online service.

[/quote]

Presumably you mean the 6 digit number which was sent to me when I first registered online which is entered via the grid. Are you saying that once passed this stage (which is what I can't get passed) you then have to create a password?

Cheers for all the help.

Richard T

[Bugsy]

From memory, (we did ours a very long time ago), yes. You log on to the site given to you by CA, enter your code and this allows you to create your online banking, (passwords etc).

Until you do this the CA site simply wont recognise you.

As I said Richard, we did ours a long time ago, but I am fairly certain that this is what you have to do.

Gary.

[andyh4]

It maybe varies from region to region because that is not how CA Alsace Vosges works.  I am still using my issued 6 digit number as password and no opportunity to change it.

[Bob T]

Same here in the Dordogne. I am still using my 6 digit number that I was issued with 3 years ago.

[tenniswitch]

[quote user="Richard T"]I opened an account with CA Centre Ouest and asked about internet access and was given the URL. I went to the web site and registered and received my PIN by post. When I tried to access the account using the 11 digit account number and inputting the PIN by the funny grid thing I got the message "Votre saisie n'est pas autorisee pour la conexxion, veuillez contacter votre agence."

I went into the bank the next time I was in France and they said they needed to make a modification. They completed a "Contrat de Acces Essential" and assured me that with 24 hours everything would be OK.

Just tried again and I still get the same message. I don't believe I have locked myself out as I've actually had a new PIN sent so I'ved tried the same thing very carefully quite a few times. As I'm in the UK at the moment it's a bit awkward to contact the bank other than by email but before I do I just wonderd if anyone out there had had a similar experience and might be able to tell me if I'm doing something wrong.

Any advice gratefully received.

Richard T
[/quote]

When Mr. TW and I opened our CA account several years ago (in a different region from yours), in addition to the account number (the number on our checks, etc.), we were each given separate numbers (similar, but not identical to the main account number) for internet access, as well as passwords for each of those access accounts.

We are able to access our account online only by using the internet access account numbers.  I have since changed the passwords, but it is was not obligatory- I just wanted something easier to remember.

BTW, if you have too many failed login attempts (I think the number is 3, but I may be wrong), internet access to the account will be blocked until you have notified the bank and they have reset your password and sent it to you by mail.

Why don't you look through your paperwork again and see if you can find something with your internet account number(s)?  Or else, just call the bank and see if they will mail you all this stuff again.  (I think they'll send the account numbers and passwords separately.)

[BluegrassFreak]

I use online access for Credit Agricole.

I put my account number in, then I put the 6 digit code in (which I generated myself) and it opens the account no problem

[andyh4]

So that is variant 3. 

1.  Bugbear - internet account number not the same as bank account number, password can be set by yourself

2.  Me - internet account number is the same as bank account number and password is set by CA and cannot be changed.

3.  Bluegrassfreak - internet account number is the same as bank account number but password is set by yourself

Oh the joys of of a "national" bank like CA.

No wonder there are disagreements about how things are done in France!!

[Bob T]

The trouble is that they do not seem to be a national bank. I log onto CA Charante-Perigord, but when I went to the Britline site and called an English speaking phone number there I was told that they could not help me as they were CA Normandy and had no access to my details.

[nectarine]

You've probably now been locked out, if you tried more than three times and were unsuccessful, so you need to contact the bank and get them to reissue you with a 6-digit pass number.

It's also possible that you entered the account number incorrectly - internet access requires only 11 digits but if you look on the bank statement or cheque book, your account number is usually 12 digits long.  That threw me at first, until I realised that the first two digits of my account number are '00' but - when entering the number on the internet - you leave off the first '0' and make sure that the final 11 digits are what you have put in.  Actually, that might be the reason why you couldn't get access, as you probably entered all the digits but the final one wouldn't get entered as it was too long.

With Centre France, there is no additional password, just enter the account number and, via the grid, the 6-digit pass number and you can access your account.  Three unsuccessful attempts locks you out permanently so I suggest you call them and get another pass number.

Good luck, doing things the first time over here is quite frustrating until you get the hang of it but having internet access is wonderful.  My one gripe with CA is that you cannot set up payee details for transfers, etc. (unlike most British banks).  If you want to set up a payee you have to contact your bank and they do it - why on earth they cannot open up this facility so you can input payee's sort codes and account details, etc., is beyond me.  It's not rocket science but, as someone pointed out to me, if you have to advise the bank about every transfer, every payee, etc., it is keeping someone in a job !! 

[krusty]

You could have a look at the "on line banking demo" from Britline , I know CA branches differ but getting on line should be the same.

http://www.britline.com/g1/currentaccount/using/online_banking.asp

[andyh4]

[quote user="Bob T"]The trouble is that they do not seem to be a national bank. I log onto CA Charante-Perigord, but when I went to the Britline site and called an English speaking phone number there I was told that they could not help me as they were CA Normandy and had no access to my details.
[/quote]

 

Bob

that is why national was in inverted commas.

 

CA is in fact a confederation of regional banks and they all do their own thing within the regional rules.  This means that a bank in the East of France has as much access to your account details in the West as does Barclays to your account with Natwest.

 

Nectarine - again another regional difference - my account has 11 digits and no forward zeros.  But it may well explain the problem if the OP is in the same situation

 

By the time we have finished we will probably know more about how CA operates across France than the local Branch Manager.  [:D]

[Richard T]

[quote user="nectarine"]You've probably now been locked out, if you tried more than three times and were unsuccessful, so you need to contact the bank and get them to reissue you with a 6-digit pass number.[/quote]

I've been quite careful - I'm now on my third number but I'll order one more as, oddly, the third number was exactly the same as the second.

[quote]It's also possible that you entered the account number incorrectly - internet access requires only 11 digits but if you look on the bank statement or cheque book, your account number is usually 12 digits long.  That threw me at first, until I realised that the first two digits of my account number are '00' but - when entering the number on the internet - you leave off the first '0' and make sure that the final 11 digits are what you have put in.  Actually, that might be the reason why you couldn't get access, as you probably entered all the digits but the final one wouldn't get entered as it was too long.[/quote]

My account number, as advised to me, is 11 digits long although it has three leading zeros. I've tried enterng it without the zeros but it advises me the account number is not recognized.

I'll get there in the end[:)]

Richard T

[Richard T]

[quote user="krusty"]

You could have a look at the "on line banking demo" from Britline , I know CA branches differ but getting on line should be the same.

http://www.britline.com/g1/currentaccount/using/online_banking.asp

[/quote]

Thanks for that. It's almost the same as the Centre Ouest one except the password box is on the other side of the grid.

Richard T

[Jacqui Too]

[quote user="Bob T"]Same here in the Dordogne. I am still using my 6 digit number that I was issued with 3 years ago.
[/quote]

I am with CA Charente-Perigord and I have just logged on. There is a chance to change your 'Pin'. On the left hand side of the screen (when you are into your account) under OUTILS click on Personnalisation and there you are:

Code personnel

Vous pouvez changer votre code personnel I changed mine to something easy to remember the first time I used it.

[Martin963]

Jacqui - I've PM'd you.

M

[Spicy]

We had the same problem (exactly the same message at login) and it took a couple of calls and a visit before someone realised they hadn't received a copy of a bill to fully activate the account. When it was fully activated we got new PIN numbers in the post and all is well.

[Richard T]

[quote user="Spicy"]We had the same problem (exactly the same message at login) and it took a couple of calls and a visit before someone realised they hadn't received a copy of a bill to fully activate the account. When it was fully activated we got new PIN numbers in the post and all is well.[/quote]

As the OP of this thread I can now confirm that this was my problem as well. It has taken three personal visits, a letter and two emails before this issue was identified and resolved.

At the time of  opening the account I explained that  my house in France has no mains water, no mains electric, no town gas and no telephone so it was quite impossible for me to produce a utility bill. I did however produce my passport, an attestation signed by the notaire which proved that the property was mine and offered any number of other documents such as birth certificate and UK bank account statement - I also gave them a couple of cheques signed by the same notaire to pay into the account.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, when I wrote to them from my UK address they asked for a UK utilty bill which I scanned and sent to them by email. Amazingly this was accepted straight away and immediately (if you can call three days "immediately") I was given access to the online faciltiy.

So... looking around the CA web site it now appears that if I want to make an external payment I have to contact the branch to set up the details. I am beginning to wonder if this whole French bank account idea is worth the excrutiating effort.

Richard T