ATMs save banks money, why charge?

Re: "Card charge allows ATM expansion" (Letters, January 19)

ATMs were not invented because a bank president loved his customers so much that he decided to find a way to make their lives easier. They were invented because an accountant told a bank president he could save a lot of money by replacing expensive branches and bank tellers with robots: Automatic Teller Machines. ATMs are convenient for customers, but banks are businesses and their focus is on the bottom line. Fair enough.

But bear in mind that those customers who access their accounts, make withdrawals and deposits and pay bills at ATMs are doing work that used to be provided by a paid employee. Now banks are charging people to do their work for them, even though they are saving a fortune by using a robotic teller system. Next expect McDonald's to charge Bt20 for the privilege of bussing your table after you eat. ATMs are not a public service. They are a cost of doing business. The bank I use charges no fees and refunds any ATM charges from other banks. By adopting this practice it has attracted millions of new depositors. This allows the bank to make more loans to large businesses for fat interest payments rather than sticking it to the little people who make their business possible in the first place.

Vincent Gilles