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They're at it again!
They're at it again!
One of the few redeeming features of my banking arrangements was that I seldom had to actually enter the Agricultural Bank where I store my loot. They had a (usually) very efficient and simple to use ATM system. So they changed it.
About two weeks ago, they reprogrammed the customer interface. Judging by its new appearance, they must have wanted to emulate early Commodore 64 graphics.
Now, instead of asking you for your PIN, asking how much you want then giving it to you, you have to go through screens of useless information and dumb questions.
It used to be bilingual on each screen page. Now you have to select your preferred language. It then asks for your PIN, then whether you want to withdraw cash or check your balance. Fair enough. There are about six other options. They apparently entrusted the English translation to a drunken, illiterate baboon, so to check if I want to avail myself of the other services, I had to abort everything then go to the Chinese page. Nothing much of interest.
I restart. Language?, PIN?, Withdrawal?, How much? I answer appropriately. The machine whirrs and clunks for a few minutes while telling me that should the ATM fail to give me my cash or return my card I must, on no account, leave the ATM, but instead phone this number.
After a while it says that I have incorrectly entered my PIN. I have to start again. This happens to everyone, every time. There is a major bug in the software. Everyone has to go through the whole rigmarole twice. It has been like this for two weeks now. Hasn't anyone from the bank noticed?
Finally, on the second attempt I get my pictures of Chairman Mao, but still have to answer more useless questions before I get my card back.
What used to be a 30 second experience has been so enhanced that I now get to spend about ten minutes to withdraw MY money! And that is after queuing behind all the other people who are having to enter their requests twice.
Three months later and they still haven't fixed the bug.
One year and three months later, they have fixed the Chinese interface, but
the English still requires you to enter everything twice.