A Quick Postscript on the Subject of Charitable Giving via ATMs

Back in February I reported on the British coalition government’s vision of a Big Society (ATM Charity Giving is Coming to the UK Big Society) to encourage social action and promote the idea of public service.  One of their ideas was to get ATM providers to install technology to enable the British public to make charity donations at the same time as making cash point withdrawals.

Several months have gone by since then.

What has happened to the Big Society?

Is it here, or isn’t it?

I popped out of the ProSwift office at lunchtime to top my mobile phone up at a nearby cash point. For a moment, I actually thought that the Big Society had indeed already arrived.  There on the ATM display screen was the legend ‘Donate to the Japanese Tsunami Red Cross Appeal here’.

 It seemed like the banks had got their act together and installed the new ATM technology quickly and efficiently, without me even noticing!  Great idea, I thought, I should be making a donation the Tsunami Appeal, especially now, when news on the subject is drying up, and people are beginning to forget all about that appalling disaster.

But first, the practicalities.  I had to sort my phone out now; only 82p of credit left. Now, being of the (slightly) older generation, this mission was fraught with difficulties, pitfalls and challenges.

Challenge Number 1

Actually being able to locate my card from the depths of my handbag.  The handbag is very large and the phone is very small.  It’s dark in there and I can’t see the wretched thing.

Challenge Number 2 

Managing to operate my state of the art mobile phone. This was a Christmas present from BH, and blooming complicated.  One slip and, before you know it, instead of ringing up your Auntie in Basingstoke you’re surfing the net, downloading the latest ring tone from Lady Gaga and making a video. Oh how I long for my old phone, which did nothing except enable me to ring people up, and if I was feeling very daring, send a text.

Challenge Number 3

If you are incapable, as I am, of memorising your own mobile phone number, you have to navigate your way round the Byzantine complexities of the phone menus to get to where your own contact details are stored.

Challenge Number 4

Having located the number, enter it into the cash point machine.  Now my phone is very small, and my hands are quite big.  And I have got clunky, inflexible arthritic fingers.

Halfway through inputting the number, my phone helpfully switches itself off.  More fumbling follows, until I eventually succeed in retrieving the number and typing it all in.  Hurrah!

Challenge Number 5

 Blow me if the darned machine doesn’t want me to enter the entire number a second time.  By this time, quite a sizeable queue is building up behind me.  This makes me panic slightly, causing me to fumble with the phone and lose the display of my own contact number yet again.

Challenge Number 6

Remembering to take my reading glasses with me, so I have a sporting chance of at least being able to see the keys on my phone and the ATM, and to read the electronic displays.

 Finally, success! I have topped up my phone with £20 of credit. And there are only 12 people behind me in the queue.  I will now receive a barrage of texts from the telephone network company informing me that they are graciously granting me a ‘gift’ of something I have never heard of and do not want.  Anyone know what LMFAO is, for example?  No, neither do I.

Suddenly I remember the  message about making a donation to the Japanese Tsunami Appeal. This has now disappeared from the ATM screen.  I can’t see any button to press to choose  to make a donation. The woman behind me in the queue is breathing down my neck and drumming her fingers on her bag.  She is small but wiry, and right now she looks capable of strangling me. I give up the idea of being charitable and stagger back to the office.

Postscript

The ATM machine in question was provided by HSBC, and the message about the Tsunami appeal was in association with the British Red Cross. 

Under the main headline there was some small print which no doubt explained how to make a donation: this was, however, way too small for me to read!

I can’t find anything about donating via HSBC on the British Red Cross website.  But I will find a way.