General Chat

I refuse to use an ATM ........ call me a dinosaur if you like, but I go to a teller in the bank


Actually, it was about 15 or 20 years ago that our branch of a Canada-wide bank started trying to force people to use their machine. Their one and only machine.

I would walk up to the counter, one particular teller would look at me and say "you can use the machine. It's faster".

I would reply "I do not wish to use the machine. I wish to see a human".

At that point, she would enter my details into her computer and give me the money, or let me pay my credit card bill

We went on like this for almost a year ................. finally she gave up, and stopped telling me to go to the bank.

The other tellers, who were still there at their space just as before, would smile and deal with anyone who walked up to them

Now, that bank has 4 teller spaces, exactly the same as they had 25 years ago, and at least 2 are "manned" at all times of the day, and the ATM machine is out on the street wall instead of inside the building as it was back then.

I've even had a manager or assistant manager walk along a line-up if it has got too long and say "if you are depositing a cheque or money, I'll deal with it in my office. I'm sorry but I cannot help if you are taking money out of your account."


I write between 5 and 10 cheques a month ........ I'm equally a dinosaur in refusing to use banking on-line for transfers and automatic payments for natural gas, electricity, gas (petrol), credit cards, etc etc. I want to know how much we are paying out, not having to check my account every single flipping day to see what has been taken.

The only Direct Deposit or Direct Debit we do are for our pensions, insurance payments and medical plan payments.

It's not just people having the capacity - it's the safety of internet banking, or, for that matter any computing system.
I work with computing systems every day - there's no way I'd use internet banking. I even have a limited credit card for buying things online. Not only to avid having my main account hacked, but also because, buying with a credit card has in-built safety (ie insurance and repayments)

Cheques? I write one once a month to pay the milkman. There is no way I intend (at this stage) to set up a link between my account and theirs.

Our daughter received a cheque today from her grandparents. They get too nervous to even consider Internet banking. A cheque in an envelope is a much nicer way of giving a present than an impersonal bank transfer.

The aforesaid male grandparent is getting forgetful. His wife has to hover when he is paying with a chip and pin credit card in case she had to step in with hers.

Technology is fine whilst you have the capacity, but when it begins to go, your independence becomes even more restricted.

I think it's a shame that businesses believe it' 'cheaper', and 'more efficient' to replace humans with machines. It doesn't work - just ask all those people starving under the new 'improved' computerised benefit system.
All those providers, at the mercy of Councils' 'new, improved, finance' system, that leaves them unpaid. What do they do? They phone a human, in the department that required their skill/trade, in the hope of getting an answer - and some pay!
Unfortunately, those people/admin no longer deal with finance, as it's been automated and centralised. All they can offer is an ear.
They're also not paid to be a call centre/placator of angry customers/a listening ear. This takes up time they should be using to do THEIR job - which hasn't declined since responsibility for finance has been taken away - no, the bosses in their ivory towers have foisted a lot more work on them, because the overpaid morons in 'charge' don't have any idea what the real workers do.

You can't replace a human.

It is years since I either wrote or received a cheque. They are surely redundant. Neither do I visit any of the branches for anything much one ATM is as good as another. The branch bank is a dinosaur still using old technology ( I led a team which wrote a lot of the software for it so it must be ancient lol ).

There are plenty of alternatives to cash eg phone apps, Barclays PingIt and so on. Like it or not cash and cheques are on the way out. There are already heavy restrictions on using cash for large transactions. ATMs are as Errol says a high risk and high maintenance piece of kit which is why the banks are bringing them indoors.

It is all making things very difficult for petty thieves who have restorted to blowing up ATMs with gas and more seriously attacking staff in neighbor hood supermarkets for cash and peple on the street for their phone credentials. As ever the plods are running along way behind the curve.

Be aware that the UK uses an different PIN technology to the rest of Europe and it is markedly inferior. It is prone to "man in the middle" attacks. One common form is to install a small piece of electronics in the small terminals common in restaurants, corner shops and so on. This will pick up all transaction details and send them by blue tooth to a guy outside. The banks swear blind that this cannot happen but they are wrong. Driven into a corner they always shell out as they are terrified of a serious case coming to court.

ApplePay may change everything who knows ?

well hubby has problems too with writing his signature but the tellers know him and so dont quibble if his signature is a bit spidery .

Its really folks keeping their independence and not having technology forced upon them .

It was bad enough convincing OH he needed to stop driving and give up his licence as that too was one step accepting things were changing for him

Joined-up writing caused a bit of a tizzy when first introduced a while back.

I do have power of Attorney for hubby BUT he needs to keep his independence as long as he is able / We have separate bank accounts because my employer Unilever started monthly pay into your bank account WAY before Fords who hubby worked for went the same route

Hubby has always been independent and we worked out the bills and who paid em and then hubby said ,I want to be able to spend my own money if i want something and not think I am spending yours so didnt want a joint account .

It has always worked for us SOOOOO if he wants to get money from his account he has to go into the bank to do it . He doesnt even like cash back at the supermarket tills as its alien to him.

He really couldnt cope if he had to use an ATM

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Unfortunately, high street banking has not been particularly profitable for some time and this is despite the massive revamp the banks did back in the late 1990's when they made all the branch management and senior clerical staff redundant and tried to de-skill or replace the remainder with technology.

That said, I have not had need to visit a branch to engage with a member of staff since 2007 so it has hardly been an inconvenience for me, at least.

Given the recent anouncement by HSBC to cut staff and make further major changes to their high street outlets it will be interesting to see how quickly the other banks follow suit.

My hubby has memory problems anyway but still knows his pin nos But he is frightened of computers, hole in the wall banking and he was always tongue tied on the phone as he hates them too

Now he has his memory and physical problems he needs my help to escort him to the till and remind him what he was going to take out etc . We even two weeks ago went into the bank with him on his new mobility scooter

It does make me cross when adverts etc. say you can do this online at www etc I will say to hubby not everyone has a PC or wants one so how do they expect everyone to do things on the internet.

As we get older, we can forget PIN numbers etc. How are we going to cope then??

Very handy for those customers who have poor/no useful vision.....NOT!

Barclays advised my daughter to ask a 'passer by' to enter her details into the ATM to withdraw cash! My letter of complaint was a total tirade pointing out their idiocy!

Start complaints procedure a) at the branch b) to head office.

Good luck

Sue

I understand that Dermot.... But these machines were not a hole in the wall job.... They are all inside the bank........ They could at least have 1 till people by a human for the walk in customer

Branches are being closed because of the lack of 'walk-in' customers plus other reasons no doubt.

Without external ATM machines for example, the queues of customers, bank card to hand, would meander out the door & down the pavement for the old complicated cheque cashing regulations.

I agree it's difficult for us oldies to keep up with the ever changing technology. My mother, if she were still alive, would find GR, et al, out of this world. As for my dad, he would light up another Woodbine just as he always did.

Just been to the bank...

Was in this particular branch maybe 8 or 10 weeks ago....
About 4/5 tills in operation..

Well today ,I thought I had landed in outer space.....All changed. The place was full of machines all along one wall ..

Only 1 position that had a human... & that was the Bureau de change.

Wanted to pay in a cheque..... redirected to machine.... Explained to lady that " I don't do machines" (never even used a cash machine on the wall).. She kindly did the transaction for me... When done ,Thanked her & said I would be unable to use this branch again.. to which she said that she would always do it for me.....

So where is the sense of the "upgrade"

This world is becoming more alien to me by the minute.....

I Know .................... I'm a dinosaur........