Self serve paying in machines - what about when they turn faulty?

Nine_Lives

This hasn't happened, but i'm wondering what happens when it does happen...

Imagine, you have £x to pay in. Could be £5, could be £500, whatever.

Big queue for the cashiers so you go to the self serve. Feed in your cash & it only says you've fed in £x amount which is less than you did. It doesn't spit out your rogue note/s.

How do you then prove you brought the amount you claim to have?


I've never had a problem, but like with any machine - they're bound to turn faulty at some point.

I had a cheque one time to pay in. I purposely went to the self serve as it was for 32p :rotfl:The machine took my cheque, said there was an error & wouldn't give me my cheque back.
I wasn't going to go through the embarrassment of asking for 32p back, so i just left it.

Gromitt

I believe all deposits of notes are double checked by staff. So if they get a different figure to what the machine says, its checked again and the majority wins.

MoneySaverLog

I'd never trust a paying in machine if I was paying in cash. Often I'd go into a bank at lunch time with long queues and they'd ask if I'm paying in cash only. If you say yes then they point you in the direction of the machines.

No thank you, I say. I'd rather pay in at the counter and get a counter receipt. Is what I normally say to that. I never trust a machine for the reasons you point out.

It also works the other way too, I'd rather draw money out at the counter than use a machine. Second choice would be a machine inside a branch, followed by the less secure outside ATM as an emergency.

opinions4u

Machines are less likely to make an error than a cashier.

It works both ways, paying in or withdrawing. If the machine makes a mistake, you flag it up and the bank staff can reconcile the cash in the machine against the transactions that it thinks it has made.

Much the same as when the human cashier makes an error.

I would much rather use the machines any day of the week. Much more reliable than people.

bobblebob

Does it not spit your money back out if you press cancel?

Never had problems myself. But i assumed if what you put in was different to what the machine said, pressing cancel would return your money

MoneySaverLog

opinions4u wrote: »

If the machine makes a mistake, you flag it up and the bank staff can reconcile the cash in the machine against the transactions that it thinks it has made.

Yes but if you ask for a receipt at the counter it is always going to match what you are paying in. Any errors, on either side, can be quickly rectified at the counter.

If it's the machine then I suspect you have to wait until someone can check it which may not be straight away.

Likewise you can watch as the money is counted out in front of you at the counter to spot any mistakes when withdrawing.

stclair

MoneySaverLog wrote: »

I'd never trust a paying in machine if I was paying in cash. Often I'd go into a bank at lunch time with long queues and they'd ask if I'm paying in cash only. If you say yes then they point you in the direction of the machines.

No thank you, I say. I'd rather pay in at the counter and get a counter receipt. Is what I normally say to that. I never trust a machine for the reasons you point out.

It also works the other way too, I'd rather draw money out at the counter than use a machine. Second choice would be a machine inside a branch, followed by the less secure outside ATM as an emergency.

So your the cause of the long branch queues of a lunch time :rotfl:

MoneySaverLog

stclair wrote: »

So your the cause of the long branch queues of a lunch time :rotfl:

Sorry!!! :rotfl:

opinions4u

MoneySaverLog wrote: »

Yes but if you ask for a receipt at the counter it is always going to match what you are paying in.

Not if the cashier makes a mistake.

Any errors, on either side, can be quickly rectified at the counter.

No. The cashier's till would have to be balanced. That won't be quick.

If it's the machine then I suspect you have to wait until someone can check it which may not be straight away.

You would probably have to wait until the branch is closed.

Likewise you can watch as the money is counted out in front of you at the counter to spot any mistakes when withdrawing.

But it's still possible for mistakes to happen.

Humans make mistakes. Machines can malfunction. The machines are less likely to fail. But when something does occur there are procedures to reconcile cash in till / machine against what's meant to be there.

If that reconcilaition is out by the amount of the dispute then the answer is found the same day.

MoneySaverLog

I'm not sure of your last response opinions4u.

If you were expecting a receipt for cash in as it is counted out and they ask how much you are paying in. At which point the mistakes would have been identified before it even got to the till. You have a physical receipt of the same from the cashier too

If there were any issues later in the day, but as it was counted out and you both agreed what was going in, you have a receipt to say the same. I doubt there would be much the bank could do, say if the till was out at the end of the day as they would have no clue as to where the extra money, or where the missing money went to.

rb10

It's very unlikely that a machine will make a mistake.


If it malfunctions, then the cash will either go into the divert box or just get stuck in the rollers. Your money cannot join the main cash tin unless you confirm the amount.

Your money is safer in a machine than with a person.