Fun with French banks

Our first week in France has only just finished but we have already encountered the famous French bureaucracy. All we wanted to do was open a bank account so we could start paying for stuff. Doesn't sound too hard, eh?
We figured we'd try HSBC as they advertise themselves as being a bank for expats to use in France. So we went to the main branch on Champs Elysées. There was a double door with a security button so we went in the first door and were told that only one person can go throught at a time. Once we got in, we were told that we had to go to the office next door to open an account. So out the double doors and through a new set next door, to find out that no-one was available and we'd have to come back later. When we returned we were greeted by a very pleasant woman who proceeded to tell us that our bank draft would take 6 weeks to clear rather than the 2 days we expected, and then she decided that HSBC couldn't even deal with it because the draft was marked Citibank. We were politely shown the door and told to try Citibank. It turned out, however, that Citibank is an investment bank and don't let you open an account, and we were once again politely shown the door and told to try another bank. By this time we were getting increasingly agitated, but nevertheless tried our luck at another bank down the street. Once again I had to explain in French that we wanted to open an account, only to be told that you can only open an account with a branch if you live nearby! Seeing as we did not currently have an address, this was going to be a bit difficult. We knew which area we intended to move to, though, so decided to try one more time at the HSBC in that area. This time we were told that we had to arrange a meeting with one of the staff the next day, but happily they knew what our bank draft was and confirmed that it would only take 2 days to clear. The meeting the following day took an hour, with several forms to sign and heaps of questions to answer. However, we are now the proud owners of a French account. Easy, eh?