Bank customers across regional WA face more branch closures and reduced opening hours as Westpac announces more closures and Bankwest moves many branches to two or four-day openings.
Mandy Stephenson says she will fight to keep the Westpac branch alive in some capacity.abc.net.au/news/westpac-bankwest-wa-regional-bank-branch-closures-hours-reduced/101459092Thousands of people across regional Western Australia will soon be forced to drive hundreds of kilometres to access a bank after Westpac announces the closure of four more branches across the state.
"Bit of a shock because it didn't come from Westpac. We haven't been notified even though I'm a customer," she said.Ms Stephenson said Wongan Hills was like a "central hub for other nearby towns", meaning the closure would be "devastating" for others as well.A limited banking service will be provided through the local post office, but it is not yet known if Westpac will continue to provide a local ATM.
Bankwest said its WA regional branch transactions had declined by 33 per cent on average over the past five years while its customer app usage had risen by 31 per cent in the past two years.Recent census data revealed one-third of Wongan Hills residents were over the age of 60.Pensioner Terry Bloxsome said he and many others would now have to drive to the Westpac branch in Northam — a 200-kilometre round trip."That's a big whack on your pension — I can't afford that.
"Communicating with your client is something that they should be doing a lot more than they are," he said.Mr Hanlon said a big part of dealing with Westpac initially was their physical presence in the town.In the state's south west, Bridgetown will lose its branch in December leaving customers facing an hour's drive to the nearest Westpac office.
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