Non-Free JavaScript Programs in Banks Aren't Even the Biggest Problem
OUR expenses are generally low compared to the average couple, with or without kids. We have birds and fish to feed, but that does not cost much and we purchase in bulk. We always pay with cash (both of us) and banks mostly get out of our way.
Recently we wrote about banks in relation to Free software [1, 2]. So did RMS, we suspect partly in reaction/relation to what we had published (he said someone spoke to him about it, hence he did an article).
Just over 2 weeks ago we visited a bank branch and spoke to the manager about accessibility. To quote a portion of my message (that I sent to them after we had visited):
3. AccessibilityFor the sake of people with disability/ies (all of us are likely to become at least partly disabled at one point our our lives) it is crucial to maintain in-person services and imperative that assurances to this effect are given. Contrary to this, the impression given to us today is that such a commitment is gradually being phased out and banking with a human touch (as such) will be only temporarily available, leaving clients grappling to face persons who are qualified and familiar with the particular processes.
Please, can you investigate and clarify these matters? Our aim is not to belittle or insult anybody; we just try to do our best to improve the service or the perceived customer experience. We felt like we witnessed today competing interests: the profit motive against the clients’ genuine interest.
4. Customer-First Approach
In 2000 I was already a very early adopter of online banking, but now I partly regret what became of it; it seems to be means of outsourcing labour from bank staff to the clients, both at the expense of staff and clients and at risk (accountability) to staff and clients, for neither stands to benefit from this role-passing, i.e. it’s detrimental to us all, even your own staff, whose future seems increasingly uncertain. There is no lack of manpower (there are many people out there eager to find a job), there is just a race to the bottom in terms of filling up positions (or simply deprecating them altogether).
I didn't mention anything technical in point (3) because the recipient is not technical and mentioning something like JavaScript would fall on deaf ears. However, it seems clear that banks nowadays have browser compatibility issues (even Firefox is a bit of a stretch to them, more so derivatives of Firefox). The interfaces are not user-friendly at all and a lot can go wrong, not willfully. Each bank has its own interface, which makes matters worse.
The interfaces we should realistically prefer are people; mouths, ears, and someone skilled and experienced - i.e. knows how to use the bank's own (more advanced) interfaces and can double-check all sorts of things. Not only does that add accountability to the equation (they're responsible for their own errors); they also get things done faster and more safely. That relates to point (4) about keeping people occupied (employed), more so when they can help others be more productive and focus on their own occupations (not having to memorise "self-checkout" GUIs, app menus that constantly change because of new versions, and clunky Web sites which are in fact "webapps").
Technology was supposed to make life easier; in practice, however, for most of us the opposite effect can be observed, as people must learn/remember dozens of passwords, internalise GUIs (which are dynamic, not static) and any mistake they make can cause anxiety and lost time/money. █