Locals have reacted angrily after a Perthshire safari centre announced it was going cashless.
The Highland Safaris and Red Deer Centre, near Aberfeldy, has received backlash online.
A statement from the company on Facebook said: “Please note – from November 1 2023, Highland Safaris will no longer accept cash payments.”
Highland Safaris, which offers safari tours in Highland Perthshire and is owned by Crieff Hydro, says it has made the decision due to the closure of local banks.
Backlash as Highland Safaris goes cashless
The post, received a largely negative response after it was shared on the community group Aberfeldy Community Notice Board.
Helen Ferguson commented: “Not good – we need to keep cash going otherwise we will lose it.”
Caroline Cosbie added: “Won’t be going, you should have a choice of how you pay.
“Poor customer service.”
Meanwhile, others shared concern the decision may lead to elderly people being excluded.
Geoff Bower said: “Why, as one comment says, money is money.
“A lot of people don’t have a credit/debit card which could cause some customers to miss out on something they have always wanted to do.
“That is disgusting.”
Fiona Roberts added: “That’s not good, especially for older people who don’t use cards and prefer using cash.”
‘Banks to blame for cashless businesses’
A possible explanation for the decision is the lack of banking facilities in rural Perthshire.
Aberfeldy has been left without a bank since TSB closed in January.
And other banks in the area have also shut this year.
Local councillor John Duff said: “I am sure this is a business decision brought about by the distinct lack of banking facilities in the area, but it certainly doesn’t appear to have endeared them to their customers.
“That would be a great pity because this is an excellent local business, which is adjusting under new ownership, and we should be doing everything we can to support it.
“The debate over cash versus cashless transactions is being driven, I think, by the banks who don’t really want to be handling money if they can avoid it and, of course, there are fees for cashless transactions which ultimately the customer will bear.”
‘Elderly people love using contactless
This view was backed by others online.
Jan and Mike Haggerton said: “As a business owner who went cashless in 2019 (when we lost banking facilities in town and my nearest option for daily banking became a 2-hour round trip to Perth) I can tell you that the vast majority of my customers, young and old, prefer NOT using cash.
“Elderly people love contactless.”
Ben Adams added: “Disappointed but not surprised to hear this.
“I suspect the lack of nearby banking facilities really doesn’t help.”
A spokesperson for Highland Safaris and Red Deer Centre said: “We are sorry to hear that some of our customers are disappointed by our decision to move to a cashless system.
“We’ve made this change primarily to protect our team who, with local banks having closed in recent months, were forced to travel outside the area with large sums of cash.
“We are confident a cashless system will allow our employees and customers to enjoy the park in an efficient and secure way.”
Conversation