Samantha Evans, from Devizes, recently told Express.co.uk how the closure of the town’s Barclays bank impacted her life.
The banking giant’s St John’s Street branch shut for the final time in February last year, after a 15 per cent drop in counter transactions, meaning the nearest branches for Ms Evans are now in Chippenham and Trowbridge.
The 36-year-old says this has greatly increased the stress of banking for her.
She told Express.co.uk: “When I found out the branch was being closed, it was really frustrating to say the least.
“Having the Devizes branch closed down has made sure it’s harder for me to access actual face to face support.
“It’s meant that if I have a problem, I have to call or use my mobile banking app to access support.
“Any time I call I’m not able to get hold of anyone in the UK, and sometimes there is a noticeable language barrier, making it even more stressful.”
She added that she did not receive any correspondence from Barclays warning her of the changes, at the time of the closure.
Ms Evans suffers from chronic pain and mobility issues because of a large, rare tumour which has required arduous surgeries and recoveries.
This has caused her spinal issues and pain which make mobility challenging.
She had used a mobile banking app prior to the loss of the branch, but found it difficult and continued to seek face to face support when she experienced issues.
Ms Evans, who has banked with Barclays for 14 years, told Express.co.uk she still hopes they “turn it back around” and improve their service.
Barclays still offer a Barclays Local from the town hall three days a week to provide in person support.
At the time of the branch’s closure, a spokesperson explained that fewer than ten per cent of transactions were taking place in branch.
A spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “We are committed to staying in the community whenever we close a branch so that customers can continue to meet with a colleague face-to-face.
“We offer a range of accessible services for customers and have offered for a colleague working in the town to contact the customer to discuss how we can best support them with their banking needs.
“Whenever we close a branch, we communicate with all regular customers to ensure they are aware of alternative ways to bank and offer support using digital.”
