Blind customers locked out by bank web upgrades

Sally Abrahams and Lee Kumutat, BBC Radio 4, Money Box, May 6, 2018
HSBC, Metro Bank and Halifax have all admitted to failings after redesigning websites that made it hard for their blind or visually impaired customers to access full services online. In a statement, HSBC told Money Box it has just finished upgrading the site again, and saying we apologise to those who may have experienced problems accessing the site during this update. More than two million people in the UK have vision problems that can’t be corrected with prescription glasses. And over a third of a million are registered blind or partially sighted. Under the Equality Act, firms must not discriminate against anyone by failing to provide them with a service. And that includes banking services. Companies that don’t comply could face a claim for damages.