Cashpoint cards and managing your money

In the bank's eyes, the easier it is for a 16 year old lad to access his money, the more he's going to spend. Inanother few years they'll be trying to get him up to his eyeballs in debt. I think you're very wise. There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed - Dennett

It has nothing to do with what you want or he needs. All banks and building societies encourage self service through cashpoints or online services to reduce transaction costs. The branch networks are not service points, they are sales outlets, and they don't want bothersome customers using valuable staff time getting their money out, when the staff could be selling you a credit card or overpriced house insurance. I worked in the IT department of a bank for 12 years, and most of the new systems we put in were about getting "transactors" out of the branches, and getting purchasers in. Customer service was never on the agenda, let alone ethics.

Off course it's what people want - the cashpoints wouldn't be there otherwise. What I mean is that banks are withdrawing cash faciltiies and we're now being charged for withdrawals. People are screaming for cash machines, supermarkets and other premises are screaming for them (because it's a fact that sales in stores with cash machines increase by at least 15%). It is about what people want. That's what makes or breaks business. I agree that it's to reduce queues (noone likes to queue) and on that note, I really cannot go on pretending that I know what I'm on about and should shut the fuck up a little more and listen rather than wading in thinking I know it all. There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed - Dennett

So when am I going to be able to put my cashpoint card in my mouth, think my PIN number and pull cash out of my ears? ~PEPS~ You can’t finish a man till he’s finished his Texan Bar

You'd be getting mugged all the time. "Think sucka! Think!!" There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed - Dennett

Very true. Wouldn't be so easy to attach one of those card-reader jobbies onto your gob, though, would it? ~PEPS~ You can’t finish a man till he’s finished his Texan Bar

lol...but the brain so pliable don't you think? I mean - imagine yawning. All the mugger would need to do is stuff the card in your gob and say "you know you don't want to think of your card number," and a wad of tenners'll fly out of ya earole. There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed - Dennett

I suppose you'd have to install some sort of psychic firewall. Or have a system whereby you tweaked a nipple and thought of your PIN. ~PEPS~ You can’t finish a man till he’s finished his Texan Bar

Citibank introduced what I believe were the world's first ATMs (cashpoints) at their branches in New York City in the 70s. I remember it well. John Reed was in charge of the Metro division of Citibank at the time and spent some $300 million (a staggering sum in 1974) developing the software. The avowed purpose was to reduce the bank's costs in the long run, which it surely did. There was a subtext, however, which is that it was virtually impossible, even then, to hire a reasonably pleasant and reasonably competent teller in NYC. The customer service angle was that with the ATM, you could avoid the smart-arsed bitch behind the counter as well as the lines waiting to be insulted by said lovely. There were very few male tellers in those days. I personally love ATMs and internet banking. Anything to avoid dealing with bank personnel is fine by me. "You don't need the light of the Lord to read the handwriting on the wall." Copies of Warsaw Tales available through www.new-ink.org

Surely a cashpoint card is safer than cash because you can withdraw the money when you need it rather than when the bank's open? And if it's stolen or lost it's a hassle but without the PIN it can't be used (not to be confused with a debit card which can be used for purchases, but chip and PIN technology reduces fraud loss here).

Can you loan me some if I need it urgently too, please, Bruce? I'll e-mail you my bank details. A transfer would be fine.

I NEVER swear. May have a problem with the football, though... Might have to settle for exhorbitant interest rates.

Bugger **paranoid candlelit cave. bruce appears on the cave wall - grimacing. Suddenly alan appears superimposed upon bruce and cut to a scene of my mother giving birth to me by c-section and she's Gigglin and laughing like I were some joke. She's crying with laughter as I ease out of her vagina. She's squealing with delight and neglect and I realsie in that instance that I wasn't meant to be There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed - Dennett