Forum Topic

Stating the bleedin' obvious or what?

'Figures have been released by Nationwide showing that its cash machine on Chiswick High Road showed the biggest increase in withdrawals of any in its network last year.The number of times money was taken out of people’s accounts increased by 151% and the ATM in Chiswick was one of only two where the level doubled over the year. This compares with a national average increase of 4%The unusually large increase is being attributed to the closure of other nearby bank branches and their ATMs including Nat West and Lloyds. Withdrawals from Nationwide machines by non-customers has increased by 16%'No sh*t Sherlock!

Vanessa Smith ● 38d32 Comments

One issue to bear in mind is that most ATMs are free because the major banks don't charge each other interchange fees to use each others machines. If some banks are significantly winding down their branch network, the balance of this arrangement may be upset. There is a cost to Nationwide to running this service which is probably now mainly being used by Lloyds and Natwest customers.

Alison Howard ● 32d

Yes, that's why you have to be careful around holidays as the cash machines can run out of cash.  Not that I've noticed that as a problem more recently because we have generally been able to use both cash and cards in places - but it definitely used to be. They fill them up after hours when there aren't customers in the bank.There are plenty of people who nowadays need help with queries and in using the machines in banks - but why doesn't anybody ever test machines properly before they put them into operation? It's a problem everywhere with so many different machines.  Santander staff in the bank I've found to be very helpful. However the faceless bureaucrats you find at the end of their telephone lines can be just that.

Philippa Bond ● 36d

Cash machine loading and bulk cash collection and delivery is still referred to, I understand, as the bullion run. It is done by specialist cash handlers often in the middle of the night.

N V Brooks ● 37d

As an aside, I was in Santander in Ealing before Christmas and the inside ATM had run out of £10 notes. I asked the almost obligatory clip board holding member of staff if she could top it up. Her reply was that the topping up was handled by people not employed at that branch. I can't think that such a simple job wasn't handled in branch. Anyone got any ideas/thoughts?

peter king ● 37d

Thank you Philippa.Courtney Gilbert is the amateur psychiatrist the post was intended for.

Keith Iddon ● 37d

There's something familiar about the abuse flying about.

Philippa Bond ● 37d

An interesting observation, Philippa! They employ a lot of similar language on the 'Who gets the trophy for crashing the economy?' thread. The same textual features are incidentally characteristic of Steve Taylor, who has been strangely silent lately. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I might consider all this more than mere coincidence!

Robert Fish ● 37d

So calling them 'they' would be right then.

Philippa Bond ● 37d

I apologise.In the soup of all the comments,I thought that post was yours.

Keith Iddon ● 37d

Perhaps " Courtney" is non gender specific ?

David Burke ● 37d

Are Courtney Gilbert AND Julia Fresney the same person?  Because I don't agree with either of them and I believe in having a cash Plan B because Plan A has been a bit of a snafu so far.

Philippa Bond ● 37d

"But surely you still do need to find an ATM to find out what your balance is!"I find it much easier to log in to my bank account online - that shows me my transactions as well as my balance.

Richard Greenhough ● 37d

Phillipa,how is holding a bit of  folding in your wallet a mental health issue?You really are losing the plot if that's what you really think.Get a grip.

Keith Iddon ● 37d

Cash is (or perhaps was) a promissory note or bond guanteeing payment to the bearer on demand, guaranteed by the issuer.Rather better than a piece of plastic and a few bytes over the internet?Or, given broken promises by, inter alia, HMG a chunk of gold as in old days is preferable.I remmber my mum being given a farthing in her change at Harrods (yes we were posh then) which turned out to be a half sovereign.  Did she return it?  She had clasp attached (drillings hole in HM's currency is a crime) and it was on a charm bracelet, where it may remain.

James Roy ● 37d

I don't see how taking cash from our accounts for every day items should be a problem.

Janice Evans ● 37d

Well my cash is paid to supermarkets, I somehow don't think they are money laundering.

Janice Evans ● 37d

What gets some of us is this over reliance on cash. Cash transactions are good for tax avoidance and money laundering. Using cash supports criminal activity. Handling cash is also extremely unhealthy which is why it was practically non existent during Covid. Fortunately cash is being phased out. The quicker the better.

Julia Fresney ● 37d

As a lot of banks have closed, ATMs are the only option we are left with.

Janice Evans ● 37d

Of course these ATMs go on the blink occasionally - as any machine does, and that doesn't mean people shouldn't choose to  have an alternative. What gets some of us is this over reliance on technology that many people still cannot - or choose not to  - access.

Vanessa Smith ● 37d

Yes I suppose people using their cards to draw cash from ATMs NEVER have the  problem of technical problems which prevent the machines from working and dispensing the notes!!!

Julia Fresney ● 37d

I would like to add by having cash as a backup is a sensible thing. Less of a problem in cities and towns but having a plan B is prudent.

Paul Jennings ● 37d

'Not sure why people are so anxious about having cash in their purses. Is it a mental health issue?'Oh - come on - you can't be serious? Given the times these wonderful systems go on the blink, and the complete bafflement  of many of us when faced by self- service tills, and this almost universal insistence on bloody Apps for everything, still being able to use cash is a real boon, we seem to have technology overload. I have lost count of the number of times we've had to stand behind people in various shops while they faff around with their bloody 'phones and scroll through God alone knows what - in order to pay, how easy it is to use the real thing. Cash use is on the increase - hardly surprising.

Vanessa Smith ● 37d

Janice  That's a good reason.  One minute there are complaints about the personal debt that people have and the next they are making it easy to get into debt with cards with chips that can easily be piled with debt.  I've been more wary since I managed to pay for something by just being close enough to the till while wanting to ask a question about an item for sale.  I then got the chips taken off my cards ie ask for no chips.  I think they must be better now.  There also used to be a problem with having more than one card in a wallet.  But surely you still do need to find an ATM to find out what your balance is!

Philippa Bond ● 38d

I prefer cash or will overspend, plus I get all the info balance etc from the ATMs.

Janice Evans ● 38d

Just before Christmas we were in a Tescos and were pleased that we had cash as there were tannoy announcements about the payment problems.  Happily we could pay because we had cash.Shops may well prefer not to take cash as they then have all the problems of dealing with it and keeping and banking it.  They may not be as bothered about their customers (often tired and overnot worked) having made all the effort to go to do some shopping being able to actually buy something to eat that night.Many people with little money prefer cash as it is easier to manage and doesn't encourage them to overspend in the same way as credit cards etc do.

Philippa Bond ● 38d

Many thanks Andrew

Gail Busza ● 38d

Gail, there’s a thread, currently on page 2 titled “2025 Doom and Gloom?” and that’s the one where there was a bit of chat about transaction costs. 7th post down by N.V. Brooks mentions that it costs his group £0.16 to process a £20 transactions transaction by card.

Andrew Jones ● 38d

Thanks for that information, Andrew, I will check my facts!

Gail Busza ● 38d

Hi Gail,The topic of the fees for accepting card payments was mentioned in another thread recently. From what was posted, the fees turn out to be not as hefty as people might imagine ... and someone pointed out there are costs involved with handling cash as well as businesses have business bank accounts which I believe have charges of their own.There can be a monthly charge for hire of the machine, but I guess you might well recoup that extra cost by the extra sales (and hence profit) you make by selling to customers who don't happen to have cash.I can understand a stall preferring cash for small transactions e.g. less than £2, but there seem to also be advantages in accepting cards for retailers e.g. less risk of being robbed of cash, don't have to worry about fake notes ... as well as the disadvantages.Fruit and Veg stalls tend to be a lot cheaper than supermarkets of course.

Andrew Jones ● 38d

Supermarkets aren't the only retail outlets!I always pay cash for fruit and veg at the Collins stall next to Campbells Chemist, as I know they pay a hefty fee for accepting card payments. I assume this is the case for other stalls in the High Road.

Gail Busza ● 38d

Not sure why people are so anxious about having cash in their purses. Is it a mental health issue? These days you struggle to find cash tills in supermarkets. The self service ones are seemingly all card only. If you are lucky enough to find a manned till that takes cash you inevitably have to wait in a queue. Total waste of time.

Courtney Gilbert ● 38d

You're so right - we could have all guessed that would have happened.Most people can't take the chance of not having cash as sometimes all the technology in the supermarkets and elsewhere doesn't work and you won't be able to travel or to buy your next meal in the now-proved-faulty just-in-time scenario.Only we do also need and deserve more than a cash machine service from the banks holding (and using while we're not) OUR MONEY when we have it in their care.  For a start we often need help to navigate their confusing and ever- changing account names and changing rules and regulations.

Philippa Bond ● 38d