ATMs

Although we now live in an almost cashless era, cash still remains necessary for lots of everyday purchases, which in turn means a visit to the ATM. There are doubtless norms which are applied to the siting of these machines to make them accessible to persons of challenged height, to those in wheelchairs, and so on. What these norms don't seem to have been based on is the needs of people of average height (which means me) who find it difficult to read an ATM screen onto which the full strength (or even the partial strength) of the sun is shining.

Recently, I was in nearby Sonning Common where there is, unusually, a branch of NatWest (our bank) and as I needed some cash, I looked for the ATM. It turned out to be round the corner of the building and in full sunlight. This meant that the information on the screen was all but invisible so navigating the menus was largely a matter of hoping that experience would prove a guide to successful use. As I went through the routine, I wished that I could have forced the idiot who had located it there to spend an hour or so shackled to the machine in full summer sunlight, being forced to take out exactly£1,000 in a variety of amounts not exceeding £12.45 at a time.

Then this morning I fronted up to the ATM at our local NatWest branch. In fact, there are two ATMs, one inside, and easy to use, and one in the entrance lobby, facing the square. As there were people waiting to use the inside one, I unwisely opted to use the one in the lobby. Bad decision. The ambient light meant that the screen was very difficult to read, exacerbated by the need to bend down to try to improve the angle of visibility.

I am now left wondering whether the UK is unique in having such badly sited ATMs. Last year, in Vietnam, I was delighted to find that virtually all ATMs are housed in booths like phone boxes, and whatever the ATMs are match the requirements of users of average height. Admittedly, this must make life difficult for very short people and those who are wheel chair bound, but it did demonstrate a degree of customer concern which was unexpected -- and which I wish banks in the UK would emulate.