[Fsfe-uk] Co-operative Internet Banking

[MJ Ray]

(Attention grabbed by news:uk.comp.os.linux and 
news:<address@hidden> 
which have more info and latest news.)

As you may know, the AFFS banks with the Co-operative Bank. We don't 
use their internet banking yet, because it doesn't work with free 
software. Recently, we had letters and forms for their new internet 
banking service Accumen, so we have registered. Sadly, unlike their 
personal banking services, this doesn't work with free software 
either. According to reports on newsgroups, it doesn't work for MacOS 
either. There is a petition calling on the bank to support open 
standards at http://www.petitiononline.com/coopbank/ for customers to 
sign. AFFS will sign this.

I called their Computer Banking Services (bank customers can call 0870 
241 8532 between 0800-1800 weekdays) and explained the problems. They 
say that they have had a number of calls about trying to the new 
system with non-MSIE browsers and hope to fix them. Above all, they 
said their customers seem unhappy with the system (especially non-MSIE 
users of the previous internet banking) and so it is being taken 
seriously. I think they regard the "executive decision" to develop 
only for Microsoft as a mistake now. It was taken because Accumen 
replaces both the old internet banking service and some Windows 
client-server system.

I will send a letter to their customer services manager asking for a 
formal reply about the details. I hope the letter will be published 
somewhere on http://www.affs.org.uk/ when sent. If you would like a 
copy of it or the reply, please email me directly.

--
MJR/slef     My Opinion Only and possibly not of any group I know.
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