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Banks failing blind customers over a choice of Chip and PIN cards, says RNIB

Summary: Banks / Building Societies failing to inform blind and partially customers

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3 December 2004

14 issuers of Chip and Pin cards, including many High Street banks and building societies, are consistently failing to inform blind and partially customers that they can choose to continue using a Chip and Signature card if they can’t use Key Pads, says RNIB.

A mystery shopping exercise by RNIB found only one in five bank branches was able to provide correct information on the choice of Chip and Signature or Chip and Pin cards. 46 per cent of the bank’s call centres also failed to say customers with sight problems could choose to keep using signature-based cards.

Joint-bottom of the mystery shopping exercise were American Express and The Alliance and Leicester. Third bottom was Barclays Bank. The Alliance and Leicester advised that if you have problems seeing “There is no alternative to using a Chip and Pin card”. Barclays Bank said: “It’s down to the shops and nothing Barclays can do.” Abbey commented: “Seek power of attorney on behalf of your blind relative.” Royal Bank of Scotland said blind and partially sighted people would “HHhh//HaveHhave to just take cash with them when they go shopping”. American Express said: “Blind people should be able to use Key Pads because they can use telephones.”

Steve Winyard, RNIB’s Head of Policy, said: “These results are shocking. We would have been the first to congratulate card issuers who got it right, but none have.

“Some card issuers have improved their performance. This shows that it can be done but far too many are still providing inaccurate information. Sighted customers would be horrified if banks failed to offer them accurate information on for example interest rates. Banks and card issuers should be offering a choice of card and advising customers that if they have a sight problem they can continue to sign using a Chip and Signature card rather than a Chip and Pin card.”

RNIB’s first Mystery shopping exercise was in April 2004. We shared the results (previously not disclosed to the press) with the banks. In April, 68 per cent of information offered by banks on the availability of Chip and Signature cards to customers with sight problems was wrong. RNIB was alarmed by April’s results and informed the banks that we would carry out a second mystery shopping exercise in November 2004. November’s results, again shared with the banks, showed a small improvement with 46 per cent still providing wrong information.

HSBC, First Direct, Barclays Bank, Alliance and Leicester and American Express performed worse in November than in April. The best results came from - Barclaycard, Cheltenham and Gloucester, Co-op Bank, Lloyds TSB, Natwest and Royal Bank of Scotland - all scoring 80 per cent - no bank achieved 100 per cent.

Steve Winyard continued: “Customers with sight problems must be provided with accurate information and an opportunity to choose the card they think is best for them. Banks who provide the wrong card to blind or partially sighted customers, because they simply failed to offer a choice, will not only create serious problems and inconvenience for customers who can’t use Key Pads, they will also create chaos for themselves.”

Notes to Editors

1. RNIB’s first Mystery shopping exercise took place in April 2004 and the second during November 2004. RNIB made 70 telephone calls to issuers of chip and pin cards and conducted 45 visits to 9 bank branches. A total of 14 banks and chip and pin card issuers were contacted. RNIB shared April’s results with the banks and provided them with just over 6 months to get things right. Prior to contacting the media, RNIB has also shared November’s results with the banks.

2. During the mystery shopping exercise, the mystery shoppers were instructed that they should either state that they were calling on behalf of a visually impaired friend/relative or are themselves a visually impaired customer. They explained that they or their friend/relative wouldn’t be able to use PINs or Pin pads and to ask what will happen to them.

3. ‘Chip & PIN’, the Project Management Organisation established by the Banking Industry (APACS) to implement the rollout of Chip & PIN, state that Card Issuers will provide an alternative to Chip & PIN for people unable to use PINs or Key Pads.

4. Scoring: Scores for the Mystery Shopping via Telephone Call Centres and in Branches of Banks and Building Societies are separate.

5. Telephone Call Centres: Five calls were made to call centres for each Card Issuer. Points were awarded for calls that elicited both pieces of information required i.e. that blind and partially sighted people are able to continue to sign for debit and credit card purchases and that they need a card other than the Chip & PIN card to do so. Each occasion that correct information was given a bank would be awarded 20% - i.e. one correct answer out of 5. For example, 2 out of 5 callers to the Bank of Scotland Call Centre were given the correct information, hence a score of 40%. In April however, some Card Issuers were contacted 4 times and some 6, hence the presence of scores from April that are not multiples of 20.

6. Branches: Visits were made to branches of 9 different Banks and Building societies. The same scoring rationale was used for the information given during visits to Branches as for that given by Call Centres. For example, out of 5 visits to Natwest Branches, on only one occasion was RNIB given the correct information, therefore the score for Natwest is 20%.

7. Liability Shift from Card Issuers to Retailers: On 1 January 2005, the liability for meeting the financial cost of fraudulent use of Chip and PIN cards will shift from the Card Issuers to Retailers. This will create a financial disincentive for Retailers with Chip and PIN equipment to accept signature authorisation by customers who are using Chip and PIN cards rather than the Chip and Signature Cards. Chip and Signature or Pin Supressed Cards automatically inform Retailers that the customer will be signing and that the Issuer will, in effect, meet the cost of fraudulent use of that card. Customers who do not have Chip & Signature Cards will be expected to use PINs. How many people could this issue affect? There are around two million people in the UK with sight problems. If you or someone you know has a sight problem RNIB can help. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0845 766 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk

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Content author: pressoffice@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 20/11/2008 11:13