Pensioners in Aberdeenshire are being forced to stand out in the street for hours as bank vans offering essential financial services are delayed or don’t show up at all, an MSP has warned.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Aberdeenshire West Alexander Burnett has written to the Bank of Scotland expressing his frustration at the “poor” and “inadequate” service in areas such as Huntly.
Mr Burnett said he has been contacted by angry constituents, many of whom are elderly, who say the van repeatedly doesn’t show up in the town, leaving them stranded without any banking services.
Other issues since February include the van being an hour late because the driver was “unfamiliar with the route” and on one occasion when the vehicle did turn up on time, the laptop wasn’t working which restricted the services available to customers.
The mobile banking service was launched when Huntly’s last remaining branch, the Bank of Scotland on Gordon Street, closed last year.
Lloyds Banking Group which operates Bank of Scotland is also pressing ahead with more high street branch closures – last month it revealed plans to shut 60 branches across the country including two in Aberdeen and ones in Forres, Alness and Stromness.
Mobile banking service ‘not sustainable’
In a letter to the Bank of Scotland, Mr Burnett said: “I have now been made aware by constituents that the van did not appear on its most recent scheduled visit on June 1, leaving customers, quite often elderly ones, who rely on this service unable to conduct their banking and for a second time in a few months waiting outside wondering if the van would come.
“The increasing frequency of the issues plaguing the mobile banking service is clearly not sustainable and is causing significant frustration and inconvenience for those who rely on the service.”
Mr Burnett added: “Vulnerable groups such as the elderly are continually being abandoned by the shameful attitude of banks towards providing face-to-face facilities.
“This clearly is not adequate for those who rely on the mobile banking van to manage their bank accounts and improvements must be made to address the shocking service communities have seen in recent months.”
Lloyds Banking Group admitted they have been aware of three occasions where its Huntly mobile banking service was affected by “some issues” that the bank was “unable to foresee”.
A Bank of Scotland spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry that, on a very small number of occasions, our Huntly mobile branch service did not run to schedule as we do understand the inconvenience this caused.
“Customers can sign up to receive mobile alerts letting them know of any changes to the service, or contact us by phone or check our website, for the latest route information.”
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