Time: 10 pm
Place: Outskirts of a
big city
The scooter stops infront of an ATM and the person rushes in. The
agitation on the face shows the urgency with which he is going about the
business of transaction. The moment he inserts the card in the ATM machine, it
shows that the machine does not have any cash. At the very moment, the security
who went out for reliving himself appears and gives a free advise to go to next
ATM which is 4 to 5 kms away.
Time: 11 am
Date: 1st week of month
Place: Any ATM in the city
There is a big line infront of ATM with two machines, where is one is perennially
down. After a while, the security puts a board outside indicating the machine
is down. He non-chalantly says go to next available ATM which is couple of kms
away, as this machine can get repaired only after 3 or 4 hours.
These are all familiar scenes at many
ATMs and for many of us. However, in the age where we talk about transfer on
the fly, retrieval is becoming a challenge at times. In the beginning when the
cards and ATMs were introduced, the few who had used to boast of them as priced
possessions. As the systems grew and it started becoming a norm that any one
who has an account need to transact only through ATM, more and more they are
becoming common things, which means, less valued. Earlier they used to receive
us happily in the banks, now they are charging us for entering in to banks.
The more and more banking became
a routine, the more and more people’s hassles increasing. One can not use other
ATMs for more than stipulated number, divide between urban and rural ATM
functioning, restrictions on number of transactions in your own bank ATM, more
and more value adds to ensure one does not come to bank for regular work. While
digital age has brought in more comfort, it also brought in enough challenges
to many. While we pay per transaction in non-home bank ATM, the guarantee that
the ATMs working is never assured for the customer. If ATM does not work, there
is nothing one can do, but use the closest existing ATM of any bank and pay the
price for using it. Pay for using the ATMs more than the number allotted, does
not matter how big you are. The safety factor that one has, to depend on
plastic and less on real cash, is turning out to be a nightmare. Many a places,
the sign board says, card not working today. But that today word is constant
and everyday the same board hangs. While oneside the Finance minister is
promoting usage of cards in all possible places, many such possible places are
turning out to be kirana shops asking for Cash.
At times, when the customer is
really frustrated, he thinks of complaining against the system or to take the
bank to task. Alas! Such provisions are normally unavailable for commoners. If
at all one dares to call, he will be caught in the maze of IVRs or the customer
care centre queries with all kinds of detailing including what was one wearing
or how many times they pressed the buttons.
Is there a way in which such
issues can be addressed? While the customer is being loyal to the bank, why not
bank be loyal and allow him to transact as many times? Are they charging the
people if they walk in to banks many a time? When the banks can charge the
users for the service, don’t the users deserve a reliable ATM service?
Nah! It is all one-sided. The
banks feel they are doing a great service of coming close to us and we depend
on their mercy. While this is all one side of transaction, the other side is
about home branch and non-home branch. In some of the national banks, if one
wants to deposit a cheque in non-home branch, they will not accept. Either
server is down or can not take etc.. to go to one’s home branch are the
reasons. Why? They can not handle the cheque if it bounces as the person who is
depositing does not belong to the branch. Payable at all branches on cheques is
ok, but acceptable at all branches is the big doubt. In a digital age, with CTS
cheques, the situation is so horrible. And with no one to turn to for help.
I really wonder why we are
pushing ourselves so hard, when such critical systems refuse to accept the
impending change and stay rooted to good old customs?
