It's my money and I want it NOW!

What is it with banks? A few months ago I was in Rome and needed to withdraw some cash. At each ATM machine at different banks I was denied. Just as I gave up and was walking back to the car at around 11:00pm I took a call from a very pleasant chap in India asking if I could explain why someone was trying to withdraw money with my card in Rome. I told him the reason and asked if he could assist me in getting some money in Rome. He told me that I could get some now he had removed the security flag on my account, but to give it 30 minutes.

Hoping to avoid a repeat of that fiasco, I called my bank (First Direct/HSBC since you didn't ask) and alerted them to the fact that I was in Rome and would likely want to get at my money. The response was that I shouldn't have any problems, but if I did I should make a further hideously expensive phone call to them to sort it out.

Fast forward to yesterday evening and I was heading back out to my hotel and asked the taxi driver to stop at an ATM. First one - no joy. Second one - no joy. Expensive telephone call to the bank...and a third stop at an ATM - success! Isn't life grand?