Foto: BB.LV / женщина у банкомата
Recalling her recent experience, Inga notes that in the end, because of everything that happened, she not only felt guilty but also completely foolish. But what actually happened? "I was coming back from the cemetery, stopped at an ATM to withdraw money. And suddenly, there was a complete fog in my brain, such a total blackout. I forgot my PIN. I entered it incorrectly three times, and the card was blocked. Okay, I admit it was my fault. I headed to the Swedbank branch in Ventspils hoping that in the 21st century such a situation could be resolved quickly. However, the understanding of this concept here is quite different," the woman recounts. At first, she learned that she could only get a new card sometime in November (the incident happened on October 30), then she found out that she couldn't even get a temporary card because the queues there were supposedly abnormal, and withdrawing cash at the bank branch itself was impossible because there was no cash desk. Thus arose a quite logical question — what exactly do bank branches (specifically, the branch in Ventspils) offer people? Only a banking atmosphere and consultations? "I asked what I should do. They replied — maybe I have some relative to whom I can transfer money, and he will give it to me in cash? I pointed out that I live not in the city, but 40 km away from it. A fantastic piece of advice. The girl at the information desk is polite, and I can see that she feels awkward about this absurdity herself. She goes to consult with colleagues. And then I hear from the other side a rather unequivocal comment that I am to blame because I don’t understand what I am entering. I will keep the other epithets directed at me to myself," Inga expresses her disappointment. She does not deny that she is at fault for forgetting the PIN, but such a thing can happen to anyone. She did not expect any privileges, understanding that a new card would take time, but the bank could not offer a single solution on how a person could access their money when it is really needed. The new card will only arrive in mid-November. "And the question is not that I forgot the PIN. The question is — is the bank just a place to store my money, or is it a service provider that can help when something goes wrong? Today's experience makes me think that the bank only needs the client as long as everything goes according to a specific algorithm. As soon as a real situation arises, the algorithm raises its hands and goes to lunch!" Inga shares that this happened at "Swedbank," but in this case, it doesn't even matter much because the situation is similar in all banks. Digital wallets have led us into a somewhat inconvenient situation where people may not have access to their money.
