Starting up in Dubai, pointers please
Discussion
Hi chaps,
I have officially got the green light and will be making the big move at the beginning of June. I will spend the first week setting up all the essentials, could I have some advice regarding which providers to go for.
Banking, I normally bank with HSBC but I have heard that they are a bit rubbish.
Any pointers with mobile phone services?
Estate agents for rentals?
Car hire 1-2 months?
Internet providers? Who offers the quickest service?
After we all settle down I am hoping to catch up with some fellow PHers, any track day regulars on here? I am getting really excited about getting back into a V8 again...,
Thanks for your help
I have officially got the green light and will be making the big move at the beginning of June. I will spend the first week setting up all the essentials, could I have some advice regarding which providers to go for.
Banking, I normally bank with HSBC but I have heard that they are a bit rubbish.
Any pointers with mobile phone services?
Estate agents for rentals?
Car hire 1-2 months?
Internet providers? Who offers the quickest service?
After we all settle down I am hoping to catch up with some fellow PHers, any track day regulars on here? I am getting really excited about getting back into a V8 again...,
Thanks for your help
Banks are much of a muchness - I've never had any problems with HSBC, but I know others who have. Avoid NBAD as they're bloody useless. ADCB gets good reviews.
Mobile phone - two networks, both government-owned (though du pretends not to be). They peg their prices against each other. I have a blackberry on Etisalat and an iPhone on du. Each cost me around 200 Dhs a month to run (including subscription/data packages).
Estate agents all depends on the agent you get. Betterhomes is a decent enough company, and I've had good dealings with Hamptons before. Use www.propertyfinder.ae to search for digs instead of dubizzle (leave dubizzle for car hunting). All agents will charge you 5% commission, just that some will actually do some work for that money whereas some do little more than throw a contract under your nose to sign.
Car hire - thrifty are a decent bet. Jetta for 2.5k a month is a reasonable deal at the moment. Don't spend more than 3k on a rental, it just isn't worth it. Avoid renting from the airport desks as they'll charge more.
Internet is as per mobile phone, same two companies. Although there was supposed to be some changes to the infrastructure to allow you to choose, usually you don't get any option and anything 'new Dubai' will be served by du and the rest Etisalat. You will pay through the nose for internet compared to the UK and the speeds are generally rubbish. Don't fall into the trap of getting a super TV package - they're really dear. Just invest in the best internet connection you can and a VPN to access iPlayer etc and become friends with torrent sites.
Yuo won't be able to get any of the above until you have all your paperwork in order - except hiring a car which you can do on your UK license (don't forget to bring your paper license too).
T
Mobile phone - two networks, both government-owned (though du pretends not to be). They peg their prices against each other. I have a blackberry on Etisalat and an iPhone on du. Each cost me around 200 Dhs a month to run (including subscription/data packages).
Estate agents all depends on the agent you get. Betterhomes is a decent enough company, and I've had good dealings with Hamptons before. Use www.propertyfinder.ae to search for digs instead of dubizzle (leave dubizzle for car hunting). All agents will charge you 5% commission, just that some will actually do some work for that money whereas some do little more than throw a contract under your nose to sign.
Car hire - thrifty are a decent bet. Jetta for 2.5k a month is a reasonable deal at the moment. Don't spend more than 3k on a rental, it just isn't worth it. Avoid renting from the airport desks as they'll charge more.
Internet is as per mobile phone, same two companies. Although there was supposed to be some changes to the infrastructure to allow you to choose, usually you don't get any option and anything 'new Dubai' will be served by du and the rest Etisalat. You will pay through the nose for internet compared to the UK and the speeds are generally rubbish. Don't fall into the trap of getting a super TV package - they're really dear. Just invest in the best internet connection you can and a VPN to access iPlayer etc and become friends with torrent sites.
Yuo won't be able to get any of the above until you have all your paperwork in order - except hiring a car which you can do on your UK license (don't forget to bring your paper license too).
T
Dusty964 said:
No problems here with hsbc either.
They tried to take 17,000 GBP from me through their own bank managers incompetence.They claimed I'd never filed some paperwork, and as a result I couldn't have my money.
I personally went to see the bank manager to make sure everything was in order before I left, then when I did leave I discovered not only had they never filed the paperwork I signed when I opened the account, and my account manager lied about it being filed days before I left!!!
They said to take my money I'd have to fly back to Dubai from England, it was only after contacting the same bank manager who remembered me coming in and having a very dark conversation with him did he tell me to call back in an hour...in which time they found the signed paperwork I was told that I never signed and activated the access to the money.
HSBC Dubai is in no way connected with HSBC UK or anywhere else, I even had to pay a fee to transfer the money to another HSBC account in the UK.
In summary, HSBC are a set of lying incompetent scumbags and I can point you in the direction of 4-5 other people in our office who have had similar experiences with different branches in the Middle East.
TobyLaRohne said:
dxbtiger said:
Add me to that list.
You're not a Lying,Incompetent Scumbag are ya matey? 
I got so angry typing that I had to go have a cup of tea. woo-sahh!
I have had their call centre hang up on me at least 3 times, one of them cost me a phone which I threw on the floor in disgust and it broke.
HSBC were worse than useless last year, but so far been fine this year. I wouldnt have gone anywhere near them, but I got an account up and running with Lloyds in a few days, the week before they were bought by HSBC. Arse 
Back to the topic.. Banks and pretty well everything else over here just don't work they way you expect them to. If you can put up with meaningless bureaucracy, inefficiency and nepotism, all will be fine.. On balance, its better here than most other places at the moment..
Back to the topic.. Banks and pretty well everything else over here just don't work they way you expect them to. If you can put up with meaningless bureaucracy, inefficiency and nepotism, all will be fine.. On balance, its better here than most other places at the moment..
which airline are you working for? i would imagine most of the things on your list will be taken car of by HR.
for banking i am with barclays in UAE and UK. not had any problems with them at all but i know others on here would disagree. just accept they're all s
te and go with the one that is easiest for managing your money.
no idea on mobiles, i get all my IT stuff free from work. for internet at home we use du, there was no slowdown the other week when the cable was cut.
estate agents are all as bad as each other. depends where you want to live really as they tend to cover a specific area or development. again, your employer makes a difference. emirates for example provide accommodation and for a pilot it will be very nice.
car hire i always use national or dollar. both owned by the same company and come out the cheapest when bought online. if you do it using your UK address and card it'll be even cheaper.
for trackdays, head to evolve.ae or dubaipetrolheads.com. the former is co-run by two phers, the latter by an emirates pilot and petrolhead of the highest order. most of us do track days and/or involved in local racing. we have been known to imbibe alcohol on occasion.
PS - i am sure we don't need to tell you what the weather will be like in June! worst time of the year to come, but your second summer won't seem as bad.
for banking i am with barclays in UAE and UK. not had any problems with them at all but i know others on here would disagree. just accept they're all s
te and go with the one that is easiest for managing your money.no idea on mobiles, i get all my IT stuff free from work. for internet at home we use du, there was no slowdown the other week when the cable was cut.
estate agents are all as bad as each other. depends where you want to live really as they tend to cover a specific area or development. again, your employer makes a difference. emirates for example provide accommodation and for a pilot it will be very nice.
car hire i always use national or dollar. both owned by the same company and come out the cheapest when bought online. if you do it using your UK address and card it'll be even cheaper.
for trackdays, head to evolve.ae or dubaipetrolheads.com. the former is co-run by two phers, the latter by an emirates pilot and petrolhead of the highest order. most of us do track days and/or involved in local racing. we have been known to imbibe alcohol on occasion.
PS - i am sure we don't need to tell you what the weather will be like in June! worst time of the year to come, but your second summer won't seem as bad.
I'm with Emirates NBD and the service has been pretty good (miles better than I get from Halifax in the U.K). That said, we have a large corp account with them via work so we get a dedicated team to look after us. If I need anything we can get someone that has some influence over to the office for a chat. The Web banking is a little lacking (the security is nowhere near as comprehensive as the U.K), but works well enough.
As much as they have had some bad press recently, I've had good experiences with Betterhomes. I didn't really know what I wanted or where to live when I first got here so looked in both the Ranches and Marina. Both reps were really helpful and very honest (one Russian and the other a Brit)
Not hired a car so can't help there, except to say that cars are on the whole a fair bit cheaper here, so once you have all your resident's paperwork sorted it makes a fair bit of sense to buy as soon as you can.
As much as they have had some bad press recently, I've had good experiences with Betterhomes. I didn't really know what I wanted or where to live when I first got here so looked in both the Ranches and Marina. Both reps were really helpful and very honest (one Russian and the other a Brit)
Not hired a car so can't help there, except to say that cars are on the whole a fair bit cheaper here, so once you have all your resident's paperwork sorted it makes a fair bit of sense to buy as soon as you can.
TobyLaRohne said:
Dusty964 said:
No problems here with hsbc either.
They tried to take 17,000 GBP from me through their own bank managers incompetence.They claimed I'd never filed some paperwork, and as a result I couldn't have my money.
I personally went to see the bank manager to make sure everything was in order before I left, then when I did leave I discovered not only had they never filed the paperwork I signed when I opened the account, and my account manager lied about it being filed days before I left!!!
They said to take my money I'd have to fly back to Dubai from England, it was only after contacting the same bank manager who remembered me coming in and having a very dark conversation with him did he tell me to call back in an hour...in which time they found the signed paperwork I was told that I never signed and activated the access to the money.
HSBC Dubai is in no way connected with HSBC UK or anywhere else, I even had to pay a fee to transfer the money to another HSBC account in the UK.
In summary, HSBC are a set of lying incompetent scumbags and I can point you in the direction of 4-5 other people in our office who have had similar experiences with different branches in the Middle East.
Thanks guys, I will be giving HSBC a wide berth, what an unbelievable contrast in service for a so called 'local bank'.
Shirt, thanks for you pointers, I will be joining EK, but I heard that much of the setting up side of things is left to your own devices, so its always good to get a heads up before making the big move. Yes I am looking forward to being in a full suit for 2 months in the summer joy!
I will be in temporary accommodation for the first two months, and then I will be on my own. Trying to find a place while training will be interesting especially as some of the training will be abroad! It does look like the market is flooded with properties for rent so I hope that will make looking for a home a bit easier.
Thanks for the links for the trackday information, its nice to hear that there are keen people running these events.
Shirt, thanks for you pointers, I will be joining EK, but I heard that much of the setting up side of things is left to your own devices, so its always good to get a heads up before making the big move. Yes I am looking forward to being in a full suit for 2 months in the summer joy!
I will be in temporary accommodation for the first two months, and then I will be on my own. Trying to find a place while training will be interesting especially as some of the training will be abroad! It does look like the market is flooded with properties for rent so I hope that will make looking for a home a bit easier.
Thanks for the links for the trackday information, its nice to hear that there are keen people running these events.
no worries. if you're working for EK then definitely join DPH and say hi. neil will be able to answer anything you need to know workwise.
accomodation is very much dependent on where you want to live, what kind of property you want, and how much you are prepared to pay. if you want a garage then the choices are severely limited.
any idea what routes you're flying? always good to know someone who can hand carry a gearbox
accomodation is very much dependent on where you want to live, what kind of property you want, and how much you are prepared to pay. if you want a garage then the choices are severely limited.
any idea what routes you're flying? always good to know someone who can hand carry a gearbox
Cheers,
we are looking at the Ranches at the moment, budget (by EK 160-190ish) 3 bed. Yes garages are hard to come by, and wife wants a pool
I will be on the 330 fleet to start with, so no real interesting routes. I will be given a annual 100kgs cargo budget though, so we can come to some agreement for some shotgun rides
we are looking at the Ranches at the moment, budget (by EK 160-190ish) 3 bed. Yes garages are hard to come by, and wife wants a pool
I will be on the 330 fleet to start with, so no real interesting routes. I will be given a annual 100kgs cargo budget though, so we can come to some agreement for some shotgun rides
he moved to oily towers, which is pretty much an emirate in itself!
the top end of your budget will get a garage and pool in the green community and victory heights. looks like the new villas in jumeriah village circle [ones not yet released to market] all have garages.
the villas is also worth a look. chilli on here lives there, 5 bed with pool for 130k a year.
the top end of your budget will get a garage and pool in the green community and victory heights. looks like the new villas in jumeriah village circle [ones not yet released to market] all have garages.
the villas is also worth a look. chilli on here lives there, 5 bed with pool for 130k a year.
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