For over twenty years I was with one of the two banks that are now leaving the Irish market. And I am not the only one who feels the way I do.
I feel more cautious having a disability than ever. The reason is that everything is set up for online banking. I am finding that I need somebody to help me with everything! I miss the days when you could have a chat face-to-face with a real person. I could do my business with the banking staff with more privacy. Over those twenty years, people who worked there got to know me, and I knew them.
I attended a meeting of people with disabilities who, like me, live in the community in their own houses with personal assistants who help them live their life under the person’s instructions.
In my own case, I have four personal assistants who assist me with the tasks of everyday living. Sadly, this now includes my everyday banking.
My new bank now does most things digitally and it is very hard to speak to somebody on a phone. It doesn’t matter if I call them or if I am trying to do some things on a computer. I have to type in or press the keys of my very long customer number on the phone or the computer. If I get even one digit wrong I have to start again and after three “gos” I am locked out for twenty-four hours, or even the whole weekend since the bank is only open from Monday to Friday.
This is why I need the help of the PA who is working with me at the time. If I contact the bank by phone I have to put in the long customer number even before I can do anything else but I cannot do it on my own because the time I am giving is too short.
There is also the fact that the ATMs are too high, and so are the machines inside the bank where you have to use screens to press and buttons to press to be able to do the different tasks you want to do.
I understand that the main reason behind issues like these efforts at entering your long customer number, and the other issues raised above, is security—but where is the sense in these measures when you require so much help to do simple banking?
I would appeal to all banks to please bring back the face-to-face banking, or at least the ability to be able to speak to somebody on the phone first before, or rather than, have everything completely automated.
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