Branch closures help the banks, not us
(“Banking group set to close three branches,” June 25) and wanted to reply.
My elderly, vulnerable father and I do not have a computer like so many others, so online banking is not an option for us.
Nor would it be a choice. Similarly, we do not wish to talk to a faceless person on the end of a phone. Or have the costs associated with that.
Closing banks is cutting people off and not allowing them or giving them options to manage their money/banking needs.
How many people do not have computers or smartphones?
In addition, how many people’s physical and mental health is being affected by the closures?
How many people are becoming even more isolated?
We do not have a large family and it is a lifeline to be able to pop out locally and go into places such as the bank.
It helps our physical health through exercise and our mental health through people contact and conversation.
We are tired with the standard answer from banks that people are doing all their banking online.
The recently closed HSBC. bank in Wigston regularly had queues of people. As have others.
We are also tired with the answer that we can still access money through the post office.
That doesn’t allow you to pay bills, get statements, move money from one account to another, pay into or take money out of Isas and savings accounts, open fixed-rate accounts, sort out account closures due to deaths, etc.
The people in the bank were a much-needed resource when we lost Mum and had to deal with her affairs while struggling with our grief.
On the few occasions I’ve had to use telephone banking I’ve found it doesn’t work unless its straigh forward and follows the bank’s set scripts for things.
As a full-time carer I do not have time to travel into Leicester regularly for our varied banking needs.
And my father’s health is such that he could not make that journey either through accesibility issues. etc.
Bank closures only benefit the banks and result in yet more job losses and community degradation.
The rot has to be stopped. Someone needs to step in and stop this forced route into online for everything.
Whatever happened to customers come first? Now it’s all about greed and making money.
There are so many things that could be done for the masses without computers and phones, such as banks sharing premises with others or different businesses.
But they choose to just cut us off and push people further into isolation, agrophobia (by tying them to their homes), adding to mental health stresses and non people contact, obesity through lack of exercise, etc.
Telling us to use the post office only solves a small part of our banking needs.
Where’s the resolution for all the others?
We should have sensible choices and easy access without forcing people to go back in time and start stashing cash under mattresses.
Ms J Moore, Wigston