STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Sick of hearing ATM surcharging equated with "gouging?" So is Q. Banyan, a California consultant who opines that surcharge foes just aren't very original.by Ann All, editor
March 23, 2000
The war against ATM surcharges is being waged with rhetoric. That's the contention of Q. Banyan, a California business image consultant and self-styled advocate whose Web siteis filled with his commentary on surcharging and other issues. Surcharge opponents across the country all sound a lot alike, Banyan said, relying on provocative words like "gouging" and "outrageous" to make their case. "Somewhere in a secret lab, scientists must be cloning the brains of politicians, since they're always expressing the same thoughts in exactly the same words," he writes on his site. Banyan doesn't think this is a coincidence. According to him, most of the oft-repeated phrases originate with the Public Interest Research Group, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer organization that spearheaded successful anti-surcharge initiatives in San Francisco and Santa Monica. PIRG "likes to push buttons as much as they can," Banyan said in a telephone interview. "They're encouraging almost a blind hatred of business." While business is hardly an underdog, it has been taking plenty of hits from consumer groups and members of the media lately, Banyan said. "Business isn't perfect, no doubt about it, but I don't think 'profit' should be a dirty word." Surcharging is just an example of the free market at work, he added. "Any business is in business to generate revenue." Campaigns against ATM surcharges are unnecessary, Banyan believes, because consumers can choose whether they want to pay the fees or not. He said he avoids charges by using ATMs owned by his bank. "The consumer has many choices, and one of them is free service." While consumer groups target big business as the bad guy, Banyan notes that new businesses often spring up in the wake of big industry. In the ATM world, for example, ISOs hit the scene after surcharging became widespread in 1996. And, in the midst of big bank mergers, more small community banks are springing up. According to the FDIC, 194 new banks were chartered in 1998, up from 101 in 1995. Banyan doesn't deny that he hopes he and his consulting business will gain some exposure from his site. However, he said, "I think I'm doing this in a legitimate way by looking at some important issues."
