The Royal Bank of Scotland is facing fresh fury over its “totally unacceptable” mobile service in rural Perthshire.
The roving branch was meant to help communities hit by local branch closures announced at the end of last year.
There was anger when a wave of cuts to the service was revealed by RBS at the start of the summer.
Local SNP politicians are now calling for a further review of mobile banking, saying they have been inundated with complaints in recent weeks about vans arriving late and leaving early.
Customers also complained that following branch closures, cash machines have been quickly running out of money at tourism hot spots like Pitlochry.
Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart said: “Given the RBS closures that highland Perthshire has recently seen, it was imperative that RBS got it right with their mobile branch visits.
“To hear that people have been waiting for over an hour to use the service in Aberfeldy is totally unacceptable, and goes to show what a mistake it was to close the branch.”
He said: “With all of the other issues that we are hearing about the mobile branch, it really is time that RBS executives came to see the issues first hand.”
Mr Wishart has asked the bank to increase visits to Aberfeldy.
Local councillor Mike Williamson added: “It appears that if RBS have served all waiting customers in Blair Atholl, then they move on to the next stop, despite the advertised stopping times.
“Having no leeway for those who want to visit later on during the advertised times is not good enough.”
He added: “The new service is totally unacceptable to my constituents who used to pop down to the bank with a cheque during their lunch break and now have to take time off work to find the nearest mobile branch, face a lengthy trip to Perth or even request customers pay them by cash.
“You cannot even change the address on your account in the mobile branch, this requires a visit to the branch in Perth.
“I have spoken to many people who used to bank with RBS and who are now banking elsewhere because of the attitude they have shown in the highland ward. However, it is important that RBS get this service right for those who are still banking with them.”
Perthshire North MSP John Swinney said: “In addition to the issues with the mobile branch, I have been told that during recent weekends the cash machines in Aberfeldy and Pitlochry have been running out of cash.
“This would be pretty unacceptable at any time of year, but during peak tourist season it is particularly disappointing and a total inconvenience for visitors and businesses.”
He added: “If a mobile branch visit falls on a Bank Holiday, then Aberfeldy, Dunkeld and Birnam do not get a visit for two weeks.
“Given that many people in highland Perthshire feel abandoned by the bank, they must surely now take action to alleviate these issues.”
RBS said that problems with a satellite dish, which had led to delays at Aberfeldy, had been resolved.
A spokesman added: “We recognise that every customer will have different banking needs and we are committed to ensuring all our customers receive the best possible service.
“Since we announced the closure of Aberfeldy colleagues have engaged with the local community and individual customers to ensure that customers are able to choose the best banking options for them. Our mobile branch visits Aberfeldy for an hour and 45 minutes each week”.
