My elderly mother who lives in a very small country town in Victoria recently lost her bank Eftpos card. She may have left it in the ATM but wasn’t sure. Because her small town has no branch only an ATM she attempted to ring the ANZ. She is Very deaf, intellectually challenged and has literacy issues. She could not get any help and they would not stop her card so that if anyone had stolen it she wouldn’t loose what little money she still has. Her carer tried also but the bank was not helpful. I visited her (a 350km drive) and was told to drive her to the nearest town (another 120km round trip) to get her identified before they could stop her card and issue a new one. I also tried to ring ANZ but their telephone service is atrocious and I couldn’t get through.
I now have POA but even that process of lodging the forms at a branch in Melbourne was burdensome, having to make an appointment which took a week and then there have been delays getting these documents processed so that I can access my mothers accounts to help her. And guess what, her new card arrived today and she can’t activate it due to her disabilities and I cant get in touch with the branch in the country town I spoke with to help me!
There was only one person at the country branch we went to who was helpful and understanding but I can’t even get in contact with her today to help my mother to activate her card.
It feels like their systems at the ANZ and probably all others, whilst trying to protect privacy etc are Very Ageist and Ableist.
I spoke with a bank teller many months ago about this and all she could say was that banks were trying to make everyone do everything online now. How does that help people with disability like my mother or the elderly ? It’s once again our ageist society.
Has anyone else tried recently to get any customer service at a big bank? I work all day with the elderly as a nurse and with people with disability how will they cope with this lack of service ? They can’t even go to a Post office now to access their bank or pay bills.
Welcome @jenobryan
That’s terrible, just when the elderly need more support there’s none. Banks/Financial institutions shouldn’t forget that those same individual were the ones that made them prosper years ago..
Might pay to get in touch with the ANZ customer advocate for a little chat..?
The link from ‘human rights’ is a letter addressed to the Attorney-General and
clearly presents the difficulties older or disabled people face when navigating the new technologies.
Welcome to the community.
Sorry to hear about the problems your mother has encountered. Coincidentally within the last week I heard from a number of people who also had very poor experiences with ANZ’s service.
I could be considered elderly and am disabled, and had cause to ring another bank’s customer service and had to wait for 55 minutes in the phone queue to talk to someone. Once someone answered, they were very apologetic for the delay and were most helpful.
If you are unhappy with the ANZ bank’s service, if it’s possible, perhaps you might consider moving your mothers account to another bank.
Yes, this is terible. I might suggest to open an account with the commonwealth bank. Their phone service I find is pretty good.
Not the only bank which offers phone banking, or are you referring to a more personalised service? Others may find sharing further the type of services accessed and what makes it a good experience useful.
I agree. I have just watch my Dad try to transfer money electronically. He did not rememebr how to do it. Their local CBA has closed so they are a bit lost. Dad can not drive and Mum can only drive short distances as not confident on the busy roads. They have changed some of their banking to Bendigo as it is still open locally. To go into a branch other than that one, they have to organise for a myagedcar drive to pick them up and take them. Very frustrating.
Thank you Gaby I will contact the anz advocate I wasn’t sure who to give feedback to given I can’t get through to anyone to help activate my mums card today I wondered who to contact so thanks. And thanks for the other info too I will read it and use it in my feedback.
thanks everyone for your help and advice. Unfortunately I don’t have any faith that the other big banks or Bendigo Bank would be any better at customer service. I bank ING and ME bank but this is all online so hopeless for my mother.
I did hear back finally from the bank in the town nearer to my mum about activating her card and all they could offer was a 1800 number with a automated service in which she would have to put in the card number and then her birthdate plus #. I doubt she even knows what the # key is! Someone could help her but there is only a carer who comes 3 times a week. I live 350kms away. I cant’ do it as her POA yet because the process to log this form takes two weeks!!!
Phone banking is useless to someone like my mum because not only does she have literacy issues with words but also numbers! How can she put in her account number or card number and then her birthday to id herself. I tried contact the banking advocate and completing the forms online to give them feedback and guess what the form online would not accept the way in which I told this story. So I tried again in the format that was acceptable with names and dates and it still didn’t accept it and then timed out!! Sooooo Frustrating.
I talked to a bank teller a few months ago about the issue of branches closing and how were the elderly to manage. Her response was the banks were committed to making everyone able to do banking online so there would be no use for branches any more. SO how about people like my mother and many others who cannot work with online systems due to disability.
It’s not neccessarily about personalised service but actual customer service for people who cannot use phone banking, online systems etc. That is people who are disabled. I work with a person with mental health disability she also would have no hope of doing any of this. Her brother as her POA has to.
No worries. Wish you all the best. 
Yes, been there, done that. Dad always did the banking. Mum paid for everything in cash.
We discovered, early 80s, that Dad couldn’t use the Mastercard anymore “reliably” after a dodgy situation - we had the swipe function turned off. All cash except direct debits for Electricity etc.
Soon after, discovered he wasn’t able to handle cash either - I’d make sure she had the real cash, Dad had some coin and a $1 note, to feel useful, but Mum was primed to say “I’ll fix it”.
But the bank (CBA) kept pushing him, later her after he died to use online banking. Sent them Debit Cards which I cut in many pieces. They sent a new card when that one expired. And always trying to get them to get statements online or by email.
What’s email? She’d never touched a computer, and Dad had stopped using his years before. Electronic banking - G-R-O-A-N. No wonder the banking industry is always being reported for fraud with older people.
No, we’ll keep to a BankBook - Mum could see what she had.
She’s passed now. BUT - I’ve converted most of my payments to CASH apart from Direct Debits - and I think it’s much better - you can see it being spent as your wallet gets thinner, rather than swiping a card.
@jenobryan - So sorry to read about you poor elderley mother’s situation and frustration. I can only echo your frustration. Justified Bank Bashing is a VERY common subject in our retirement village.
So many businesses leave senior people behind and just don’t care for them or have a clue about implemnenting appropriate customer relationship management strategies.
Their desire for (so called) self service, hansard like, multi layered IVRs, chat bubbles, yet another ap that doesn’t work, and 1300 generic contact centers merely echos so many other departments and businesses.
No one seems to care about previous generations and what they are used to and expect - it’s all about profit and so called “progress” . Customer service delivery is obliterated in the process.
Yes definitely I agree. And it seems the same with the post office. Apparently we don’t need PO’s anymore. Same issue the elderly and disabled have no where to go to post or to pay bills.
Two Stage verification - what a pain. I have enough trouble with it (71) and ex computer tech!! How would someone without computer experience go - oh, scammed.
The other day some website said “sent you a PIN in text message”. Ok, where’s my mobile. Found in the car.
The PIN was expired, had to request new one. Then put the old one in - get a threatening message not to do that again. 3rd time lucky before they blacklisted me or whatever they do.
Phone service won’t be able to help anyone, like @jenobryan’s mother, who is deaf. More consideration by all banks and services such as Centrelink, needs to occur for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, and the elderly.
I here you Alan. Retired tech myself. Sadly “two stage” verification is necessary because so many systems are so much more hackable without it.
I bank with a Bendigo community bank in QLD. I am able to ring the Branch whenever there is a problem. My credit card has been hacked twice this year. Totally different numbers. They said it is randomised and they try them several times before they go for a bigger amount. The Branch immediately close down the account and issue a new card. Don’t have to get in a queue to ring Bendigo. They have been wonderful. I do have a phone codeword which they ask. Anytime I have query I just ring. Don’t need to go to the bank.
Is there a more significant consumer issue?
Have the major banks decided too abandon certain groups of customers because they cost more to adequately service? It’s more than just the reduction in branches or access in regional/rural Australia.
To ask for further action:
The public face of the big banks has a slightly different view.
Apparently it’s what consumers want? Alternately is it what the banks want us to think we need? Implied but not said that we should be happy to end all but digital access. To note that after many years the greater community has supported mandating physical accessibility as essential for buildings, transport, public facilities, venues etc. Is there a similar need to legislate the same for access to money and financial services?
There is another aspect mentioned in other topics that fortunately does not apply to a huge number, but applies to some considering ‘we’ are more than 25% born overseas with some having foreign pensions or tax obligations in other countries.
An example is Australians who receive cheques from eg. foreign governments and no way to collect the money. Our banks do not/will not take cheques and have long been disinclined to take foreign issued cheques in foreign currencies for deposit or collection. Banks rarely will open accounts for non-residents of their country and if they will there are significant ID and often other hoops to jump through.
Without a ‘friendly face’ in the country of origin willing to deposit and wire the funds here (not necessarily cost effective) the cheque becomes equivalent to a pretty print that can be framed and hung for display.
Money, payments, and banking have perverse and pervasive ramifications to certain groups such as but not only seniors.. So far those groups seem to be relegated as collateral damage.
My favourite is demands to use a specific app for verification. Many are extraordinarily difficult to set up, even for the comparatively savvy elderly.
Come to think of it, a service that nobody can access is extremely secure.
Don’t get me started on App’s! I am about to go into a branch of the ANZ tomorrow to give them my face to face feedback about their ageist and ableist policies and procedures because I cannot find any forum online to do this. Probably because I am not an ANZ customer.! Watch this space and I will tell you how I get on!
