It asks customers to avoid coming to branches unless absolutely necessary
Westpac New Zealand is encouraging its customers to do bank transactions online or over the phone following the government’s announcement that New Zealand is now on COVID-19 (coronavirus) Alert Level 4 lockdown.
The government considered banks, insurers, advisers, and other financial institutions as essential to Kiwis during the lockdown, so Westpac New Zealand remains open to support customers.
However, Gina Dellabarca, general manager of consumer banking and wealth at Westpac NZ, encouraged Kiwis to avoid coming to their branches unless necessary.
“We have a range of ways people can bank seven days a week, including ATMs, online banking, and through our customer service team in our contact centre. A limited number of branches will be open to assist with essential transactional services for customers who are unable to do their banking through another channel,” Dellabarca said.
“For the health and safety of those customers and our teams, we ask people to consider alternative ways to do their banking or to postpone non-urgent requests. We will continue to help our customers through this difficult time, but we ask them to help us and health authorities by banking remotely where possible.”
Read more: Government identifies financial sector as essential service
Dellabarca asked customers who are calling the bank’s contact centre to be patient as they have been receiving an influx of calls during this uncertain time. On the bright side, Westpac cleans its ATMs daily and replenishes it with cash regularly.
“Smart ATMs can be used to transfer funds, deposit cash, and even pay bills. Customers can also use other banks’ ATMs free of charge,” Westpac NZ confirmed – adding that Westpac One online banking allows users to check their balance, transfer funds, manage their payments, and block their card if it goes missing.
