Need to improve ATM service quality

(Baonghean) -After many delays, the domestic debit card service fee schedule was officially applied from March 1, 2013. According to the management agency, this form aims to harmonize the interests between customers and banks, aiming at the sustainable development of ATM services. The story of ATM fees will not go back, what cardholders need now is whether the service quality corresponds to the fees they have to pay?

According to statistics from the State Bank of Vietnam, as of early May 2013, the number of debit cards in the area was over 537,153 and 191 automatic transaction machines of 28 commercial banks. Currently, banks are constantly expanding the utilities and features for ATM cards such as direct deposit via ATM, direct transfer via e-banking (text message or Internet), payment when purchasing online...

With card productsF@sti-Bank, Techcombank have provided banking transaction products via the internet, contributing to gradually replacing direct transactions at the counter; BIDV Bank has also provided mobile phone top-up services; Viettinbank has implemented tax collection contracts for business households, personal income tax... Based on modern technology, a series of new services are applied to the use of cards, these products not only bring many conveniences but also save time and costs for customers. In addition, ATM cards are also accepted as a means of non-cash payment at locations with POS machines such as supermarkets, shopping malls, restaurants...

Vietcombank ATM at No. 5, Le Nin Avenue had an error and could not perform transactions (Photo taken at 4:04 p.m. on May 20). Photo: HT

To enhance the responsibility of Commercial Banks in improving service quality in conjunction with the application of new regulations on domestic debit card service fees according to Circular No. 35, the State Bank has simultaneously issued Circular 36/2012/TT-NHNN regulating the equipment, management, operation and ensuring the safety of ATM operations. In particular, there are quite specific regulations on technical standards for ATMs such as having to be equipped with cameras, anti-copying and anti-theft devices for card information; the responsibility of service providers such as arranging forces to fix problems, ATMs that are out of service for more than 24 hours must be reported and widely notified to customers; ensuring that the time when ATMs run out of money does not exceed 4 hours on a working day and 1 day if on a holiday; maintaining a 24/7 customer support department; At the ATM location, there must be instructions or symbols to identify the types of cards accepted, and there must be instructions for using the ATM... At the beginning of May 2013, in the province, there were 5 banks charging fees for ATM withdrawals within the network (applied at a fee of 550-1,100 VND/transaction)...

The main purpose of collecting fees is to contribute to investment in maintenance and development of the ATM system, so it must go hand in hand with ensuring convenience for customers, continuous and timely withdrawals at ATMs and strengthening customer trust. It is worth mentioning that although banks have collected fees for domestic withdrawals since March 1, according to people's feedback, the quality of service at ATMs is still... not better. At ATMs located near industrial parks and export processing zones, there are still situations where many people wait for hours, when it is their turn, the machine runs out of money; or has problems swallowing the card.

In addition, the situation of many dirty and unsafe ATMs still occurs. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (nurse of the Cardiology Department - Nghe An General Hospital) indignantly said: "Nghe An DTPT Commercial Joint Stock Bank has collected the maximum allowed ATM withdrawal fee, but the quality has not improved compared to before. After more than 2 months of collecting the fee, I have been refused a transaction by the ATM twice. Last week at the ATM on Le Nin Avenue (Vinh City), after I entered the withdrawal order, the machine reported an error, returned the card and asked for the transaction to be re-transaction. I checked my account again and performed the transaction for the second time, but the machine reported that I had run out of money, so I had to switch to another machine, but discovered that my account had been deducted the transaction fee for the previous unsuccessful withdrawal." Not only DTPT Bank customers encountered the problem, errors when transacting at ATMs of some other banks also occurred similarly.

Mr. Tran Tue Minh, a lecturer at Vinh University, shared: "Currently, there are many locations where ATMs are installed, but not all of them work well. There were times when I went to withdraw money from the ATM but the transaction could not be made, the ATM ran out of money, and sometimes the transaction screen had been turned off for a long time without a single notification from the managing units. To save time, many times I had to withdraw money at ATMs of other banks in the card alliance. When making each transaction at an inter-network ATM, I had to pay a fee of 3,300 VND, and some banks only allow a maximum withdrawal of 2 million VND/transaction.

Thus, if customers withdraw more money, they will have to pay higher fees and spend more time to make transactions. In my opinion, banks should increase the transaction limit each time via ATM card in the card alliance system. Currently, there are banks that have not applied ATM card withdrawal fees, but whether they do or not, banks must seriously improve and enhance the quality of ATM services. When it is necessary to maintain or install additional equipment for ATM booths, banks need to post, notify in advance and specify the date and time of temporary suspension of operations in the ATM booth so that customers know. That way, customers will save time and have to run around looking for another ATM to withdraw money"...

Recently, Vietnam International Bank (VIB) has applied a method of free ATM withdrawals for both domestic and international networks for the first 6 months; from the 7th month after opening an account, if the cardholder maintains a balance of 500,000 VND, they will be exempted from domestic and international withdrawal fees; the one-time withdrawal limit has also been increased by the bank to 10 million VND. This mechanism not only benefits card users, connecting them to their accounts, but also creates conditions for banks to have additional capital for business or reinvest in service quality. However, banks should also consider classifying customers to best support consumers, because the minimum balance of 500,000 VND as VIB is applying is too high compared to the income of some groups such as students, workers, etc.

The main purpose of charging fees for domestic ATM withdrawals is to harmonize the interests of customers and banks, motivate commercial banks to strongly develop payment card services and directly contribute to promoting non-cash payments in the economy. In order for cardholders to be satisfied when using ATM services, it is important that banks quickly complete the provision of services, complete the widespread ATM system; sign contracts to open more ATMs at public service points, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, etc. When the service quality of the ATM payment system is improved, customers will clearly see the benefits of using ATM cards and the fee for ATM card transactions will no longer be a concern for customers.

Ngoc Anh