Sent to "The Star,
Johannesburg", Thu 31/03/2011 16:23, not published.
The trend for South
African banks to charge for everything continues with the recent announcement,
not widely reported in the press, that from tomorrow (1st April) the "big
four" banks will charge customers to breathe in their branches. A spokesman justified this by saying,
"Look, we have to pay for air-conditioning. Eskom and City Power tariffs have gone up
substantially: Do people think clean air grows in trees? If they want free air, they can use the ATMs
outside and breathe Johannesburg
From April ABSA, FNB,
Nedbank and Standard Bank will issue time-stamped tickets as people enter. On exit, an "air fee" will be
conveniently deducted from the customer's account for the time spent in the
branch. Those without accounts may pay
by credit card or in cash. People who
bring their own breathing apparatus and air supply will be exempt (scuba shops
are reporting brisk business).
Fees have initially
been set at what the spokesman called "a ridiculously low 10c a minute. We
don't want to scare people away initially. Once they are used to the idea, we'll start
really fleecing them."
The good news for
consumers is that there are already signs of price wars between the banks: ABSA
is, for tomorrow only between 10:00 and 12:00 offering "half-price air
time", and Nedbank has countered with "Breathe Free Fridays". Capitec Bank will not follow suit. Their Morning Glen manager told this
newsletter, "We think it is crazy what other banks charge for. Not only do we have the lowest fees, we also
charge for fewer services. The public is
welcome to come and breathe gratis in our branches, which by the way also stay
open the longest."
