No, I wouldn't: I'd have a rule that I'd make everyone follow. No one 'knows' you anymore: they aren't paid for that.

Hi,
Sad, but very true that most bank/credit companies are distant from their customers. I go to my credit union and most times different people are there to help me. I can remember when going to my favorite gas station and service was exceptional. But now it's serve yourself and rarely a Hello let alone a smile from anyone.

I'm very cautious when using my cards at service stations with all the skimming going on. You never know! I like the convenience of using my cards but I do try to use the same stations. I do get a great discount at Bj's but it's a distance from my home.

That's our society today, no manners or care for proper service.

I do the same. But no debit cards... Just use the credit card.
I seem to recall the day where you pumped your gas and walked in and paid for it in cash... Times have really changed. At least at restaurants you can still eat and then pay... And still walk up to a fast food counter and order from a 'real' person instead of an 'app' or a stupid Kiosk.

Then there is the internet... Used to have the convenience of sending zipped programs and such via e-mail (instead of snail mail). Security got involved at customer end eventually cut that off. Changed over to using a ftp server that customers could log into to pull files. That was eventually blocked and had to use sftp. Java applets was cool. We developed some neat apps and then... You guessed it, security said there use was a no-no... Bad guys/abusers just cause us lots of 'headaches' all down the line... Now it all about using certs. Oh and those get updated once a year now here at work which can be a pain to get and then deploy... Crazy. Computing isn't as 'fun' as it used to be ... nope notta... all because a few don't want to play nice...

I do this online. I've never been into a branch of 1 credit union (40 years), 1 bank (25 years), and only once, in 40 years, at my brokerage. Can't you limeys?

Yes, of course we can. Everyone uses apps these days. If you actually want personal service from a human being, they punish you by making you wait for hours while they run ads on a loop saying how easy it is to just do it on your phone. But I absolutely refuse to bank online because I wouldn't feel safe doing it and I think a lot of people my age feel the same. Why should I have to spend the last years of my life feeling frightened and insecure all the time just for the convenience of a bank and its shareholders?

I completely understand your concern! I did all of my banking in person up until COVID hit. During the pandemic I was more afraid of becoming ill than banking so I learned about online banking. If you use sensible precautions I think online banking is secure.

Not us. Avoid like the plague. Only apps on phone are what came with it (and what company put on it). App for this, app for that... Nope. Use phone for phone/text/pictures. That's it. Still have a land-line. Might even ditch the phone when I retire. Right now it is 'required' due to on-call situations. And the company pays for it. I see it as a unnecessary expense in retirement, not a necessity. Oh and bank in person.

Same here, not trusting the cell towers since I've heard reports of fake cell towers, so my phone has never even connected to provider data streams.
Every now and then the provider gift "free GB" or something and I just ignore it like any other spam.
Not to mention all apps suck location data as soon as you connect, and the ones that come preinstalled suck the most data.
My opinion: root it, clean up all, leave phone/sms/music in it. Your battery will last for a week.

I don't even have a phone. I do it on a computer. I'm 71. If it's just for the convenience of the bank and its shareholders, and enough people feel like you, someone could start a bank to serve you. It'd cost more.

Some banks almost force us to do our transactions online. I rarely go to my bank unless I need cash at the ATM or I need access to my safety deposit box. My bank has reduced the number of tellers down to almost zero. So if you need to go in person you must wait in line a lot. I would change banks, but, that's an annoyance that I don't want.

And who says you'd get a better service from another bank? They all seem to march in lockstep these days.

Still, it's nice to know that I'm not the only dinosaur who hates the idea of banking online.

Extremely likely to be true! I suspect that most banks in North America now maximize profits over serving their customers. Five or more years ago we had more tellers at our bank.
Do the UK, EU banks have a similar policy of maximizing profits over service?

One thing that has obviously changed is the role of the bank manager. When I was young, bank managers made most of the operational decisions and they knew all the local businessmen and their needs. If you needed a loan, it was the bank manager who decided if you could have it, based on his knowledge of your normal financial behaviour.

Nowadays the bank manager is merely a puppet of the central bank administration. He doesn't know any of his customers personally and can't make any autonomous decisions.

https://hrussman.neocities.org/ramblings/debanking
https://hrussman.neocities.org/ramblings/bank

Are there no luxury banks that offer personal service, say for £100/month?

Yes, of course there are. With enough money, you can do anything. But if you're just an ordinary person with an ordinary current account, you're shafted.