Comments on: Cash Machine Parallax

By: Michael McCorry

Michael McCorry — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

While we’re (off-topicly) comparing ATM charges, here in Australia I get charged $1.80AUD ($1.30USD) when I use an ATM other than my own bank’s. If I’m not near my own bank’s ATM, I get around this by getting cash out at the EFTPOS when paying by card at a store, who don’t charge extra (yet). Buy a 50c lollypop, save $1.30, and hey, bonus lolly! As far as usability goes, I thing most ATMs here are pretty good, apart from the valid point marc b (#28) makes, which is annoying.

By: Calichef

Calichef — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Back when my old bank was actually *at* a bank rather than inside a grocery store like it is now, the ATMs faced west. The displays were orange and from about two o’clock in the afternoon until sunset they were virtually unusable. Nobody could ever see what the screens said. In those days I had a student account which allowed me to use the ATM without charge but charged me $5.00 to have a face-to-face transaction with a teller. It was incredibly annoying. The ATM at my current bank faces north and at a much better angle, too.

By: Dave Cardwell

Dave Cardwell — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Parallax is mostly the same here in the UK. It made me chuckle the other day to see a Windows message box with an obscure error message on the screen of an ATM down the road from me. I wish I’d taken a photo now.

By: Nicolas

Nicolas — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Eric, you’re lucky: charges here in South Africa are about 1% to 1.5% of the withdrawl amount.

And yes our ATMs have the same paralax problem, but worse my bank (Absa = Barclays) requires me to select a language everytime I insert my card! Every single banking customer in the country has had to positively identify himself to his bank (read female as required) to comply with new anti-money laundering laws… but my bank can’t even remember what language I spoke last time I visited?! I’ve even reported to their hotline with no success, not even a response.

Nicolas

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I have always been a fan of the Braille instructions on the drive up ATMs. Nice of them to make the interface accessible to all the blind vehicle operators in the world. Brilliant!

Average fees in NE Ohio range from $2.00 to $2.50. We would love to see $1.50 back again.

By: Bradley

Bradley — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Kevin, where are you at in NE Ohio? I’m from Cuyahoga Falls, currently living in North Canton, and most places I’ve seen are still $1.50.

I’m pretty happy overall with National City. Their online banking is superior to most everything else (even give me free images of my checks), their ATMs are free for their customers and offer to retain your preferences (touch screen, too!), and they generally don’t treat me like too much of an idiot.

I’m sure every branch is slightly different, no doubt.

When I lived in East Texas in 2004, I was unimpressed with the options there. Most banks were just beginning to offer free checking, too. My bank had crappy hours, and yet every time I tried to deposit something via the ATM in the evening, there were no envelopes in the machine or it was out of order.

The online banking was horribly ridiculous, as in “not even slightly production ready”. It looked like one of my high school programming projects done in VB. The main page was a big blank screen with about 8 green boxes at the top for navigation. No logo, no ads, no information about your account, nothing. Just a big blank screen. But yet again, most banks were just starting to offer online banking in that area.

I guess it comes down to competition. There wasn’t really a better solution in the area at the time, so why change it? Just having a 24/7 ATM, free checking, or online banking was huge! I mean, the sad conclusion of Mike’s entry is that most ATMs suck, but people use them anyway because they want their money.

I can see it now… a tiny flat-panel hanging on a wall at your local mall. No keypad at all, just a screen, a card slot, and spot for the money to come out. Touch screen, elegant white frame that almost blends in with the wall… the Apple iMoney.

Riiiiiight. I wish.

By: Kevin Marino

Kevin Marino — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

At least you have money to withdrawl.

By: marc b

marc b — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

My biggest beef with usability of one atm in particular in my country (asb im looking squarely at you) has to do with balance readings.

Say i approach the cash machine, and i would like to pull out some money.
I dont know how much is in my account, so i would like a balance before i possibly overdraw the account.
So i go in, check balance with a receipt.

Now, everything would be dandy if it spat out a receipt right there, but nooooo…receipts dont come out until you are finished using the machine…. Then it throws this pearler at you:
“would you like to make another transaction?”

How the hell would i know!you havent given me my receipt yet! so i have to press no to get my receipt. If i find out i do have enough then i have to put my card back in and start again.

*butts head*

By: PanMan

PanMan — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Here in The Netherlands, all ATM usage is free (well. actually, not all, you start getting them in places like McDonalds now, that do charge).

By: Kevan

Kevan — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The new SunTrust ATMs have solved this with a very simple design. The buttons have a very visible white line that comes out of them, wraps around the edge of the screen framing and goes right up to touch the screen, and then all the appropriate screens have a corresponding on-screen line that meets right up with the physical one and links it directly to the on-screen choice. Makes it much clearer.

By: Torsten

Torsten — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’m amazed they even look like this overseas. We have the same design problem in South Africa. From the users perspective button and screen display are often out of synchronisation.

By: Zach

Zach — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

ATM machines, eh? :oP

By: Raphael

Raphael — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thank God, I’m not alone…
For so long, I cursed at the designers of these machines,
I thought I was the only one noticing the absurd way it was conceived.
If you’re higher than 1,50m, you’re screwed.

By: Kevan

Kevan — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

took a snap of what I was talking about with the SunTrust ATMs: parallax solved

By: UnknownGirl

UnknownGirl — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What’s really funny, is that I found this page while doing a search to determine why the Cancel button on an ATM is not working. Trying to fix it and all.

I work at a financial institution monitoring the ATMs. I recently took over this position and thought our screens look outdated. So I created new ones (where the buttons line up to the arrows on the screen) and with images so as to not be quite so dull.

Complaining about fees and ads…our ads show up at the beginning before you insert your card (and the machine doesn’t keep your card…the card swipes). Once you swipe your card, you do your transaction and then once done, ads appear again. As for fees, try a Credit Union. Most Credit Unions’ don’t charge fees for you to use their ATM (even if you are a bank’s customer).