"give a homeless man a bank application form. and he will starve waiting... give the man a QR code and he can instantly earn a living"
There's your mistake...
You can't get an application form that easily in most banks in the UK anymore. You have to have an scheduled 'interview' where they'll give you the application pack. But as a homeless man, they'll ask first if he has an address, if he says no, they'll not even give the scheduled 'interview'.
You have to have an 'interview' for the 'privilege' of giving them
your money.
So backward.
Seems weird that you have to meet anyone. I have never been into my bank. Never talked to anyone in the bank. Just loged in and set up the accounts i wanted.
To set up the accounts you want, you must have had to have one of two things:
1. You already had an account with the bank already, so you could just set up a new account.
or,
2. You gave proof of ID and address.
But if you are just a 'walk-in' looking to speak to a human, then it's 'interview' time... and not at that moment, but when it suits them a few days ahead.
Getting a renewal of a UK passport they also refer to as an 'interview'. An interview where you should feel grateful for receiving your basic human rights, i.e right of travel.
It never used to be this way. Only getting worse.