LANCE Tyrell wants to withdraw money from his Commonwealth Bank account at an ATM to buy his groceries.
But thanks to the bank’s new touchscreen machines, being rolled out nationally, the 69-year-old is finding it impossible. Mr Tyrell has a disability that prevents him fully extending his arm. As a result, he can’t reach many of the icons on the new screen.
At first he thought he was doing something wrong, so-called the bank to ask for a printout on how to use the new ATM.
“The spokesperson advised me there was no printout, nothing on the website, and the only way to access it was to travel to my nearest branch to get money out or ask a staff member there,” Mr Tyrell said. “She said I would be charged for both services. I was pretty shocked.”
To get to his nearest branch, Mr Tyrell must travel 40 minutes by bus and walk for 20 minutes.
“I’ve spoken to a few people and they’re saying yes, we’re going to the bank and getting charged because we can’t operate the machines,” he said.
Several customers have taken to the bank’s website and social media accounts to raise similar concerns.
“I am extremely concerned about the poor design of your new touchscreen ATMs which are extraordinarily difficult to read for older customers or customers with vision impairments,” one customer posted on the bank’s Facebook page in March.
“My elderly aunt had to go to a competitor’s ATM to make a withdrawal (and pay a fee) because she could not read the touchscreen on a new CBA ATM.”
Other customers complained about the size and speed of the screen and privacy concerns.
Disability Advocacy NSW chief executive Mark Grierson said designers need to create machines the whole population can use.
“Eighteen per cent of the population has some form of disability,” he said.
Mr Grierson said that could include making machines lower for wheelchair users or ensuring the vision impaired could see the screens.
A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson said the bank worked with Vision Australia to test the interface with people who have vision impairment and physical disabilities.
“While our extensive testing exercise did not identify any issues with either group, we are aware a very small number of customers are experiencing difficulties using the new touchscreen,” the spokesperson said.
“We are working on further enhancing the design of our ATM screens to address this issue.”
The bank says customers can do their banking by: accessing the ATM’s audio enabled function and touch keypad by using a headset – soon to be available at branches; visiting a branch in person; going online; phoning 132-221; making withdrawals from Australia Post outlets. Normal withdrawal fees may also be waived for customers accessing alternatives due to a disability.
