Bank closure fears flagged as cash machines run dry in Tain
THE spectre of people unable to get hold of their own cash in an Easter Ross town following a spate of bank closures was raised when two of its main ATMs went ‘dry’ at the same time.
Fears are now being raised that Tain’s reputation on the lucrative NC500 route could also be damaged as a result of the issue which comes as the Royal Bank of Scotland prepares to pull out of the town.
Labour Highlands and Islands MSP Rhoda Grant has flagged her concern after contact from Tain constituents unable to access their money on a shopping trip.
The problem, on March 10, is understood to have inconvenienced many local customers.
Brenda Bailey (79) of Altass, near Bonar Bridge was among them. She said: "Two ATMs – both the Bank of Scotland and the RBS – were not functioning. It’s annoying. I do online banking and, with the best will in the world, you can’t get money out of a computer.
"The banks have possibly no idea about the distances here. They have no idea about the vast mileage that we cover. I’ve not got much time any more for the banks."
Aware of tourists on the North Coast 500 route occasionally seeking a bank machine, she pointed out that currency can still be essential in remote areas: "We’ve got some damned good restaurants here. Some local businesses don’t accept bank cards."
Mrs Grant, who sought answers from the two banks, said the situation "sent alarm bells ringing" for the future of towns such as Tain, which relies heavily on local and passing trade, and benefits from people stopping off along the NC500 route.
Tain’s RBS branch faces closure along with many others across Scotland, largely because of customers increasingly banking online.
"There was a definite cash shortage in Tain and this would have had a knock-on effect on shoppers and visitors over the weekend," Mrs Grant said.
"Breakdowns happen but we’ve not yet arrived at a cashless society, and the ability to access money is extremely important for the economy of the region, especially as we approach Easter. People deserve a better service.
"Also, let’s not forget that with branch closures at villages like Dornoch, customers are being redirected to Tain, creating more local demand."
Tain and Easter Ross councillor Alasdair Rhind rues the gradual loss of personal services previously provided by banks.
He said: "The sad reality is the RBS is closing. Banks don’t care about customer service now. They don’t care about the reliability of cash machines. People have to queue when the banks are open.
"I don’t blame the local staff. It all comes from top management who don’t want face-to-face customer relations any more. They want everything done online, which is totally unsatisfactory in our community and many others."
A spokesman for the RBS said the machine problem had been "a technical fault" and not because the machine had run out of cash.
"The fault was flagged immediately and we arranged for an engineer to repair the ATM ASAP," he said.
"I’m pleased to advise that the ATM was fully repaired (that day) and is now back in full service."
A spokesman for the Bank of Scotland said: "A fault occurred with our ATM at our Tain Branch, on March 9.
"This issue was resolved when the branch reopened the following Monday morning and an engineer attended to the fault. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers."
Cashzone operates the Co-op ATM in Tain. A spokesperson for Cashzone said: "The team at Cashzone really appreciates how important this ATM is to the local community and we can confirm that this ATM is currently working as it should. If customers have experienced any issues in the past, we’d like to apologise for any inconvenience that was caused."
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