ATM crashed and swallowed my card. Happened to you? Advice for complaints/ claims?

markw52

I put my link debit card in an ATM today (Sunday). The screen was not displaying any fault warning at the time. The card went in the slot and just as it went inside the machine, the screen promptly went blank. The ATM had crashed. I waited there as it went through the whole reboot, and after about three minutes it returned to normal, but there was no way of getting my card back.

I've cancelled the card and ordered a new one, natch. I have had this card for a year and it has worked perfectly. In fact I had only used it some five minutes previous to the ATM crash in a shop's chip and pin machine.

Upon returning home I phoned the bank concerned (I'm not a customer) to tell them about the fault and to raise a complaint.

My question for the forum is has this happened to anyone before (i.e. your card's been retained by the machine when it's an ATM fault and no blame attaches to you). How did you go about pursuing your complaint and what, if any, compensation did you get?

Any advice gratefully received.

Fosterdog

It's happened to me before, I simply called my bank to get a replacement card and reported the issue to the machine provider.

I then got on with my life without raising it as a complaint or without asking for or wanting compensation

My advice would be to do the same

withabix

Compensation for what?

Did you lose an arm when the machine crashed or something?

Nobody forced you to put your card in the machine, did they?

Don't forget, the card belongs to your bank, not you. Your bank just allows you to use it.

stclair

Believe it or not even ATMs malfunction at times.

You have the right to make a complaint however as for compensation unless you are at a financial loss don't expect to get any.

The bank my compensate you a small amount as a GOGW.

This just sounds like a case of "Compensation Britain".

markw52

withabix wrote: »

Compensation for what?

Did you lose an arm when the machine crashed or something?

Nobody forced you to put your card in the machine, did they?

Don't forget, the card belongs to your bank, not you. Your bank just allows you to use it.

Wow, what a charmer. Have you considered working in bank customer services?

withabix

Your card damaged their ATM.

Have you provided them with your address so that they can send you a bill for some compensation?

markw52

withabix wrote: »

Your card damaged their ATM.

Have you provided them with your address so that they can send you a bill for some compensation?

Were you born bitter or did it just creep up on you with age?

withabix

I'm taking the pee.

You started it.

dalesrider

markw52 wrote: »

Wow, what a charmer. Have you considered working in bank customer services?

He has a dammed good point though.

Atms are based on windows o/s..... :rotfl:

Swallowed cards is a risk with them all. Could be that the op's card had a split, or was bent and got stuck. Causing the ATM to shut down.
Could even have been a device on the ATM.

Which is why if you card is ever retained in a ATM. If you have a mobile you call your banks lost/stolen from the ATM...
Some people have this weird theory. That a retained card is returned to the card holder :rotfl: Sadly not they are just destroyed. You might get lucky if its your banks ATM, that they call you and send a new one out. Depends on how busy the branch staff are. Or if they even access the ATM and its not just looked after by a 3rd party.

Compensation... Someone is having a :rotfl:

animalhouse

It happened to me with a Barclays ATM. I bank with First Direct and they were great - replaced my card quickly and let me take cash out over the counter at our local HSBC bank.
The staff at Barclays weren't interested, saying that my card had been destroyed. I suggested that they put 'out of order' notice on the ATM and as they were saying that they couldn't, another furious person came in to report that their card had been swallowed.
I now never use Barclays' ATMs.

agrinnall

animalhouse wrote: »

It happened to me with a Barclays ATM. I bank with First Direct and they were great - replaced my card quickly and let me take cash out over the counter at our local HSBC bank.
The staff at Barclays weren't interested, saying that my card had been destroyed. I suggested that they put 'out of order' notice on the ATM and as they were saying that they couldn't, another furious person came in to report that their card had been swallowed.
I now never use Barclays' ATMs.

Bit of an over-reaction, every bank would have done the same. What will you do when you run out of banks whose ATMs you are prepared to use?