I remember the ‘good old days’ back when I used to write cheques to send money. I also remember the lining up at the Post Office to pay bills or (Heaven forbid!) having to actually go INTO the bank just to withdraw cash or transfer money from my savings accounts to pay my credit card bill. I was early on the bandwagon to open an account with an ATM card and took to ATMs and eventually phone banking like a duck to water. Of course other than the obvious benefits of being able to access cash 24hrs per day and not having to deal with bank queues – the real boon of this new fandangled technology was not having to line up with the pensioners at the bank and listen to them griping about their hip reconstructions and/or gall stone surgeries.
So naturally when internet banking came along we all went ‘Huzzah!!’ and there was lashings of ginger beer and much general rejoicing of the peasants on the slopes etc etc… Now I pretty much love internet banking – I like being able to pay ALL my bills online from the comfort of my desk and in my damn pyjamas* if I want to. I like being able to set up direct debits for many of them so I only have to think on them once a year. I like being able to transfer money to friends and family when chipping in for joint presents or sorting out last night’s bistro maths. I like that I can set up a trickle feed savings account for the Small Child which just ticks along without my even noticing it. Compared to the ‘good old days’ it’s no mess, no fuss, and no queues!
What I don’t like is that even though I log in my bank at least twice a week…. I have absolutely no idea what my account number is!!! :S When I first started using internet banking I would grab out the little card that the teller lady had given me which had the account number on it and I would touch type the number in as I looked at the little card…. and I continued to do this for about two years. Then I lost my little card but by then it didn’t seem to matter because I had somehow osmotically learned to key in the numbers by some sort of weird muscle memory process… without actually having learnt the stupid numbers!!!
So now I can log in just fine from any computer that has a numeric keypad on it. But put me on my laptop and do you think I can log into the bank? Not for the life of me can I sign into my bank account on a laptop… nor could I write the number down for you.
How ridiculous is that? 😐
*well I might if I owned some!