@urlymanIn my town there are 3 banks left, soon to be 2.
My mum banks with one that's still open, the one I bank with is closing in Sept.
I tried to make an apt for my mum so she could discuss options for a loan as she wants to replace the conservatory and can't afford to pay it all cash.
They offered to make her an apt with some one in the branch.
Then proceeded to tell me, she needed to bring her laptop with her and install zoom for the apt.
I looked at her and said 'she doesn't have a laptop, nor does she use zoom... she's 79yrs old'
She was unable to offer an actual solution that involved... actually making an apt with a person face to face. I left, telling them exactly how stupid and pathetic it was and that the treatment of people without expensive electronic devices, or unable to use them was discriminatory.
I walked around the corner to my bank and made a face to face apt for her with them... and they're the branch that's closing... But because she's not a customer of theirs, they couldn't offer her favourable rates.
My brother in law banks with Barclays... the nearest branch for his is now 35 miles away... in a tourist town with expensive and hard to find parking.
We need legislation that forces banks to participate in banking hubs, so that people have actual access to in person banking on at least 1 or 2 days a week.
Or we continue to punish anyone who can't or won;t participate in the enshitification of everything as 'undesirables'