Resistance to Change

[Miss Chicken]

One of my friends is annoyed because her bank has informed her that soon they will stop issuing bankbooks ans instead she will have to have an ATM card. She is also upset because the bus company will be going to Smart Card use soon. She says that she will stop using buses when the cards are introduced. It will be hard on her if she does as she does not drive.

Why do some people find it so hard to adapt to new technology? It can't just be because of age, My friend is younger than me and I find it easy to adapt to new technology. I don't have a mobile (cell) phone but that is because I really don't need one not because I am resisted to their use.

 

[Angry Angel]

Maybe it's more connected to on whose term the change starts. People like to decide on their own if they want a change and when that change should commence even when it might be easier or more convenient or even cheaper than the old routine.

 

[Miss Chicken]

My friend has had more than a decade to get used to the idea of ATMs. Several years ago she bitched bitterly when I was able to get money out of the bank on a Saturday when I wanted to go somewhere and she couldn't afford to come along.

 

[judge alba]

must admit I'm not too keen on the atm's myself and will for the most part use my atm card in the bank over the counter.

I'm a bit reluctent to change as well too set in my ways. took me ages to move over from a wired ineternet router to a wireless one

 

[Hermiod]

Not sure about the smart cards on the buses ? If they're anything like Oyster Cards then it will make getting around easier for her, not harder.

 

[Rii]

There's nothing wrong with having a preference for that which one is accustomed to, but refusing to take the bus once the new system is implemented strikes me as going rather beyond that.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Well, some change is good, and should be embraced; some change is bad, and should be resisted. And, of course, some change is a matter of taste or comfort and people resist it because it makes them unhappy; New Coke was a prominent example. If people like something, they don't want it changed, obviously.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Not sure about the smart cards on the buses ? If they're anything like Oyster Cards then it will make getting around easier for her, not harder.

From what I have read they are similar to Oyster Cards.

My friend doesn't like the fact that she will have to put a minimum amount ofcredit onto the card. She doesn't like paying for things in advance.

 

[FPAlpha]

What's a bankbook?

I understand that older people are reluctant to embrace new technologies mainly because they don't understand it and fear they'll make a mistake that leaves them pennyless (sensationalist disaster TV reports about hackers and people stealing credit card data doesn't help).

However when they do they often realize that it eases their life a bit. My father, and especially my mother, didn't use their card with ATMs or at shops until a few years ago.

My mother doesn't understand technology at all.. especially those big machines that spit out cash after you have to enter cryptic codes and press many buttons but once i "trained" and what to look out for she lost her fear and now pays at stores with her card without problems.

 

[Miss Chicken]

If it is of any help - they are also known as passbooks.

My friend is 46 years old. This means she was in her 30s when she first refused to use ATMs.

She is also resistant to using the internet. She has a computer but she only plays games on it and for storing her photos that her sister has to put on for her. She doesn't even have basic computer skills.

Strangely she adapts very well to changes when it come to entertainment i.e she welcomed DVD players etc

 

[Spot's Meow]

I don't know why some people are so resistant to certain things. I mean, I still keep around my VCR and cassette tapes, but I also use the newer technologies.

Not using ATMs, that's just crazy. I don't think I've ever gone inside the actual bank except to open my account and to get a cashier's check once. What is the point?! There is always a very long line and most of the time they are closed when I need to get money out.

The bus thing will be great. It will be much faster for everyone. I don't like change either, but some change is for the good. I usually get nervous doing something new for the first time, like using my new bus card, because I'm not sure how to do it and what will happen, but I have anxiety issues. And after you've done it once it becomes very easy.

If this is the way she feels about it, then have someone go with her on the bus or to the ATM the first time she uses it. Even if they just stand there and don't say or do anything it will make her feel better because she will know that if she starts to make a mistake a friend will help her out.

 

[John Picard]

One of my friends is annoyed because her bank has informed her that soon they will stop issuing bankbooks ans instead she will have to have an ATM card. She is also upset because the bus company will be going to Smart Card use soon. She says that she will stop using buses when the cards are introduced. It will be hard on her if she does as she does not drive.

Why do some people find it so hard to adapt to new technology? It can't just be because of age, My friend is younger than me and I find it easy to adapt to new technology. I don't have a mobile (cell) phone but that is because I really don't need one not because I am resisted to their use.

People here in the States used to get worked up over "Pay at the Pump". Nope, they wanted to deal with a real, live person. Not me. I embraced "Pay at the Pump" so I could gas up and get out, rather than stand in line behind some twit who wants to strike up a mindless discussion with the clerk, balance the checkbook after the transaction, or some other time wasting idiocy.

Anyway, the technology caught on, and it's all you can do to find people who don't. You friend may claim she's not going to ride the bus, but she'll change. She'll have to, and then she'll realize how much more convenient it is.

 

[Mallory]

People here in the States used to get worked up over "Pay at the Pump". Nope, they wanted to deal with a real, live person.

Some people still do. We don't have self-service here in Oregon and it's been voted down the last five times it's come up.

 

[Spot's Meow]

^I always found that interesting about Oregon. I don't like it though. I prefer the least amount of human contact as possible when it comes to...well, everything really.

 

[John Picard]

People here in the States used to get worked up over "Pay at the Pump". Nope, they wanted to deal with a real, live person.

Some people still do. We don't have self-service here in Oregon and it's been voted down the last five times it's come up.

^I always found that interesting about Oregon. I don't like it though. I prefer the least amount of human contact as possible when it comes to...well, everything really.

Interesting point, because New Jersey is the other state where people cannot pump their own fuel.

Here in Oklahoma, people wrote fierce letters to the Editor of the local newspaper, protesting how business was pushing the "Pay at the Pump" model. They'd take their business ELSEWHERE -- "HARUMPH!"

 

[RobertVA]

One of my friends is annoyed because her bank has informed her that soon they will stop issuing bankbooks ans instead she will have to have an ATM card. She is also upset because the bus company will be going to Smart Card use soon. She says that she will stop using buses when the cards are introduced. It will be hard on her if she does as she does not drive.

Why do some people find it so hard to adapt to new technology? It can't just be because of age, My friend is younger than me and I find it easy to adapt to new technology. I don't have a mobile (cell) phone but that is because I really don't need one not because I am resisted to their use.

Required to have an ATM card? While my ATM card is certainly convenient I can still conduct business in limited circumstances without it. The tellers are quite willing to make transactions over the counter with nothing more than the account number and a government issued photo ID.

What would the bank do if the ATM kept a customer's card due to a malfunction or the customer having trouble entering the PIN? Would the tellers refuse to make any transactions until the mails delivered the new ATM card and the customer brought it in?

Not sure about the smart cards on the buses ? If they're anything like Oyster Cards then it will make getting around easier for her, not harder.

From what I have read they are similar to Oyster Cards.

My friend doesn't like the fact that she will have to put a minimum amount ofcredit onto the card. She doesn't like paying for things in advance.

Are the buses going to refuse cash? While the buses here in SE Virginia USA accept magnetic stripe cards for discount fares (some for multiple rides - others are all you can ride in a month) they still accept coins and paper currency from boarding passengers. While expensive, this policy is still necessary because the discount cards are only available at participating retailers and occasional opportunities at transfer points.

What's a bankbook? (snip)...

A serious question?

At one time bank branches lacked computer terminals that allowed them instant access to the balance and other activity of an account. The customer's pass book simultaniously served as the customer's "statement" of the account status and proof that there was money in the account (for the purposes of withdrawals). Interest payments didn't appear in the pass book until the customer took it to the bank branch where the bank employees calculated the interest with electromechanical adding machines (the interest amounts were still calculated based on the proper dates - often the end of a quarter) and wrote the amounts in the pass book (usually with a ball point pen). Each teller had ink stamps to mark entries as legitimate and identify which teller made the entry.

All this was duplicated in the branch's accounting books. Presumably the labor necessary for maintaining the branch's records was the motivation behind the bank's limited daily lobby operateing hours (many closed at 2:00 PM - weekend hours were unheard of). All the information from the checks and deposit slips had to be copied into the cloth bound account books!

As a modest concession to ordinary working people the banks did have short late afternoon lobby hours on Fridays. Miss that lone afternoon opportunity and you had to wait a full week or conduct your business during your lunch break (if a branch was close enough).

 

[Spot's Meow]

^My god, I had no idea about all of that. I guess I've never really thought of how banking was done before computers. I got my first account at 16, which was in 2002.

I've got to say, that's pretty crazy! I barely even go to the ATM anymore, I use direct deposits and do all of my banking online!

 

[Garrovick]

I was surprised last Saturday when after walking and being thirsty, I bought a drink for $1.19 with my bank card.

I thought, dang, what happened to quarters?

 

[RandyS]

Well, some change is good, and should be embraced; some change is bad, and should be resisted. And, of course, some change is a matter of taste or comfort and people resist it because it makes them unhappy; New Coke was a prominent example. If people like something, they don't want it changed, obviously.

In my experience, all change is bad and must be fought to the death without pity or remorse.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Required to have an ATM card? While my ATM card is certainly convenient I can still conduct business in limited circumstances without it. The tellers are quite willing to make transactions over the counter with nothing more than the account number and a government issued photo ID.

What would the bank do if the ATM kept a customer's card due to a malfunction or the customer having trouble entering the PIN? Would the tellers refuse to make any transactions until the mails delivered the new ATM card and the customer brought it in?

Another thing she resists is getting photo ID mainly because of the expense of it (she doesn't have a driver's license).

I have got money out of my bank when I lost my ATM card so no doubt she could too but the fact is she doesn't think she should have to do this.

Are the buses going to refuse cash? While the buses here in SE Virginia USA accept magnetic stripe cards for discount fares (some for multiple rides - others are all you can ride in a month) they still accept coins and paper currency from boarding passengers. While expensive, this policy is still necessary because the discount cards are only available at participating retailers and occasional opportunities at transfer points.

I emailed Tas Metro about this and received the following

Infrequent bus users will still be able to purchase cash fares from the driver and will not require a Greencard to travel.

So, yes, I guess she could just use cash though the drivers might keeo suggesting she get a card as they would know she catches buses frequently.

We will be able to add credit to our cards in the following ways

At a Metro office or Greencard ticket agency (using cash, credit or EFTPOS)
On a bus (giving cash to the driver: minimum of $5)
Online (using your credit card) for registered Greencard holders only.

I have explained to her that if she gets a Greencard she gets 25% extra credit on her fares if she pays a minimum of $15 ($15 would get her $18.75 credit).