‘I can’t get my money’: Pensioner quits bank after ‘no-show’ service

Mr Mauchline said he had complained to the bank but had received no clear explanation.

“They just tell me there’ll be somebody there – and there never is,” he said.

A Bank of Scotland customer for about 40 years, he said the experience has pushed him and his wife Rosemary to switch banks entirely.

“We’re both moving to Virgin Money,” he said. “I just want something simple where I can sit down and talk to a person.

“I’m 82 and I can’t get my money. They’re just not bothering about me – they don’t seem to care.”

The Community Banker service was introduced following the closure of the town’s Bank of Scotland branch in November 2024. It is advertised to operate from the town hall every Wednesday between 9am and 1pm.

However, several residents have told the Courier the service has become unreliable in recent months, describing it as “hit and miss” and warning others to check ahead before travelling.

Angela Bidmead, from Carradale, is among those who have made wasted journeys.

“I’ve been about three times and they were not there,” she said. “I’m finding it so difficult to do any form of my banking now. There’s no thought for those who cannot do internet banking.”

Ms Bidmead said the lack of reliable local provision has forced her to travel to Oban – a 150-mile round-trip – to carry out basic transactions.

“I have a savings account which I like to pay cash into, and I can’t,” she said. “That means trips to Oban, which is a trek.”

She added that alternative services available locally are limited.

“The Post Office doesn’t cover everything, and some services are being withdrawn,” she said. “Every time I speak to the bank, all they say is ‘do internet banking’ – and I don’t.

“We just want somewhere we can go and discuss things face-to-face with a human being, and for it to be open when they say it will be, not for them to turn up when they feel like it.”

Another disgruntled customer said a formal complaint to the bank had been upheld, with the issue attributed to staffing shortages affecting cover for the service when employees are off sick.

A Bank of Scotland spokesperson said: “Our Community Banker has been available at Campbeltown Town Hall every Wednesday from 9am to 1pm since the service began, and we’re sorry for the very small number of times they haven’t been available due to unforeseen issues.”

The bank said there had been three occasions where the Community Banker was unavailable, citing issues such as staff illness. It added that when services are disrupted, notices are displayed at the town hall and updates are provided on the bank’s website.

It also said customers can access services at the nearby Post Office and the PayPoint at the Co-op, or use online and app-based banking, which includes 24/7 messaging support.

Some customers are concerned the situation could worsen, raising questions about how services will be maintained following the recent closure of the Bank of Scotland branch in Lochgilphead.

Campbeltown has seen a steady decline in face-to-face banking in recent years. The Royal Bank of Scotland branch closed in 2018, followed by TSB in 2021 and the Bank of Scotland in 2024.

Virgin Money now operates the town’s only remaining bank branch.