Debit card eaten by cash machine

Venusflytrap

Hubby's Barclays debit card was withheld at a Lloyds TSB cash machine today. He says he only entered his PIN (correctly) once and the card was gone. He had also tried to withdraw cash from another Nationwide/Link machine at a college earlier but the machine didn't respond.

He reported to staff at Lloyds who said that there was nothing they could do, the card had been destroyed and he should go to his bank (Barclays). Other customers were able to withdraw cash before and after his card was eaten so it appeared that the machine was working fine.

He went to a Barclays branch and complained, a member of staff spoke to 'someone' and said that there was a caution on his card and until it is lifted they cannot divulge any more info. They couldn't say what the caution was about, how it came about but advised that my husband would have to request that it be lifted. The bank's diary was fully booked so he was asked to come back next week Monday (!!!) to see someone. They however allowed him to withdraw cash over the counter with some ID.

He decided to go to another branch and eventually got through to someone via telephone who said that there was no caution on the account, no fraudulent activity and no obvious reason why the card was withheld. The agent requested a new card and said there was not much else that could be done.

Is this all the bank really could have done?

Meanwhile, I have advised my husband to keep checking his account everyday for irregular activity at least until his new card arrives (ordinarily he isn't fussed about monitoring his accounts/finances in general).

jonesMUFCforever

I think on a Saturday the bank's personal branch card printer gets a day off for maintenance!

For god's sake your hubby used another bank's machine when it is obvious he could have used his own. Had he used his own bank's ATM they might have been able to give him the card back (all banks destroy other bank's cards) for the good it would have been to him.
If there had not been a problem the Nationwide machine would have worked, the Lloyds machine would have worked.
It could have been something as simple as a locked pin.
Sit back and wait for a new card.

Venusflytrap

It wasn't a locked PIN as he only entered it twice. No rule that says customers are meant to stick to using their bank's cash machines only. That wouldn't make practical or logistical sense.

I just wondered if there was something the bank wasn't telling us. One minute there was a caution on the card and the next there wasn't...Should we be worried about anything fraudulent?

In the mean time he is waiting patiently for a new card.

ses6jwg

They wouldn't have given him the card back if it was his own banks atm anyway.

There is obviously a marker on his account such a fraud or "account abused" block.

Has he made any large transactions or suspicuous looking ones lately?

Is his account well managed?

was the card in date?

It wouldnt have swallowed the card for no reason at all.

Lawpf2001

As has previously been mentioned, ATMs dont just swallow cards for fun, so there was obviosuly a marker of some sort on the card. You say he entered the pin wrong twice, from my experience cards are usually blocked after 3 consecutive incorrect attempts. So could well be he entered it incorrectly somewhere else.

Venusflytrap

ses6jwg wrote: »

There is obviously a marker on his account such a fraud or "account abused" block.

One branch said there was a caution and the other said there was none whatsoever!

Has he made any large transactions or suspicuous looking ones lately?

No

Is his account well managed?

Very well managed (in terms of staying in the green); he's Swiss!

was the card in date?

To the best of my knowledge, yes. And the bank normally sends a new card at least one month before expiry if not.

It wouldnt have swallowed the card for no reason at all.

If only we could be told what the reason was but even the bank doesn't seem to have clue!

blueberrypie

Lawpf2001 wrote: »

As has previously been mentioned, ATMs dont just swallow cards for fun,

Ah, sometimes they do. My partner's card was swallowed by a local ATM a few weeks ago. He hadn't even had the opportunity to put in his PIN once, never mind more than that. The ATM ate quite a few people's cards that evening - the manager was dishing out a fair number of apologies as he returned people's debit cards to them the following morning!

anamenottaken

ses6jwg wrote: »

They wouldn't have given him the card back if it was his own banks atm anyway.

Nationwide machine retained my Nationwide cash card (for a savings account) after two incorrect PIN entries. Given back to me when I went into that branch the next day (but I had asked at the time so they knew I was planning to go back for it).

Psychaley

I had a similar experience a few weeks ago. I put my card into an atm and it took it without even asking me to put in my pin. I went into the branch to ask why but they couldn't tell me.

After the weekend I got a phone call from the bank on behalf of the police who were concerned that a number of cards had been cloned so the cards were taken and stopped automatically. My card wasn't one of those cloned/used but after finding out why it had been taken I wasn't too fussed. I got a replacement card within 7 days.

Venusflytrap

Thanks all. Indeed once he gets a new card it will (hopefully) all be forgotten as a bizarre inexplicable experience.

@opinions4u: No overseas transactions. He withdrew cash with the card yesterday w/out any problems.

Anyways, good to be reassured that banks do return cards retained by machines. Contradicts the !!!!!!!! they told my husband that his card had been destroyed by the machine. Like machines have razor teeth just waiting to gnaw on undesirable plastic...

MME_2

Venusflytrap wrote: »

Anyways, good to be reassured that banks do return cards retained by machines. Contradicts the !!!!!!!! they told my husband that his card had been destroyed by the machine. Like machines have razor teeth just waiting to gnaw on undesirable plastic...

Your husbands card was retained by a LTSB machine so yes it gets destroyed. Another bank don't know why the card is retained or even if your husband is who he says he is so why would they give it back?