ATMs closure in The Square ‘outrageous’ says shopper

THE sudden closure of ATMs in The Square shopping centre has been branded “outrageous” by a shopper who claims the move is effectively “bullying” elderly people into cashless shopping.

The ATMs on the top floor of The Square, near the cinema, in the corridor in the middle floor, and on the ground floor adjacent to the playground, were sealed last week on Wednesday, September 27.

This led to anger among customers, according to Derek Sharkey, who frequently shops in The Square and contacted The Echo to voice his frustration about the closure of the ATMs.

“I go to Costa on the ground floor, and when I was there on Wednesday there were people coming in who were very distressed about the ATMs,” he said.

“They said all the cash machines were down and they didn’t know what to do, and these were young and old people.

“The ATMs just closed. There was no notice. They welded a steel plate over the ATM in the wall near where Wowburger used to be.

“People went to the information desk in the Square and asked what was happening, and a couple of them came down to Costa and said they’d been told the bank had closed them.”

On Monday morning, The Square published a Facebook post stating that Bank of Ireland made the “unwelcome decision” to remove the ATMs.

It was noted in the post that other ATMs were available on level three, on level two near the customer service desk, and also in Dunnes Stores and Tesco.

The Echo contacted Bank of Ireland, which operated the majority of the ATMs in the Square, and a spokesperson confirmed that the bank had “ceased providing ATM services in The Square”.

They advised their customers that Bank of Ireland ATMs are available at the bank branch in Priorsgate, and added that banking services can be carried out in the post office in The Square.

Mr Sharkey said that when he returned to the centre the following day, Thursday, September 28, one of the ATMs on the top floor was open, as was one in the middle floor.

However, the reopened ATMs were operated by Brink’s, a major global cash management company that in 2020 bought a network of more than 500 non-branch ATMs from AIB.

“One ATM was open near Eddie Rockets, but it ran out of cash,” said Mr Sharkey.

“They opened another on the middle floor and there was a queue of about 20 people. There were signs on the side of the ATMs saying they were under the ownership of Brink’s Security.”

As reported in the Irish Independent last month, a consumer watchdog warned that independent ATM operators could start charging for ATM withdrawals.

The Echo contacted Brink’s and asked if there are plans to charge withdrawal fees for consumers who use their ATMs in the Square, but a response wasn’t received at the time of going to print.

For Mr Sharkey, the decision to abruptly close the ATMs and then re-open only two the following day is something that he took exception to, and he said it upset the community.

“I think it’s an outrageous way to treat the people of Tallaght,” he said.

“To have no notice and no consultation . . . and it eliminates anybody who doesn’t want to use digital technology to make payments or use online banking.

“It’s bullying older people. It’s a disgrace to bully older people out of access to cash and to take away their independence when they’re doing their shopping.

“There are a lot of older people in Tallaght, and they’re being squeezed out of everything. I think this should be reversed, and there should be full access to all of the ATMs in the Square.”