ATM Cash Machines

pommymike

Does anyone else have the experience of using a cash machine which did not pay out? Many of us have used gaming machines that have the same fault, but we expect cash machines to pay out the money that we have requested; no luck should be involved. Or if it fails to pay out, we assume our account will not be debited. Or if the machine fails to pay out and our account is debited, we assume this error will be corrected by our bank as soon as we report the problem. However this is not necessarily the case. I have tried to withdraw £200 from a Cashzone account, and as a customer of Natwest, I expected them to take responsibility for the fault in the Cashzone machine. Apprently this "happens all the time" and they have to submit a claim to Cashzone and I have to wait 15 days to see if it is accepted. If not I have the right to complaint to the Financial Ombudsman, who has said in some cases the problem is that the customer has not waited long enough for the machine to pay out, so how long is long enough? If after 5 minutes the machine has not paid out, one may assume surely that the machine is not going to pay out. If my account is debited due to a false representation by Cashzone that it has paid me £200, and Cashzone refuses to correct this within a reasonable time (say 24 hours) surely I am entitled to prosecute Cashzone for making a fraudulent misrepresentation to obtain my money, and it is unreasonable to expect a customer to wait 15 days. I might urgently need this cash and have no other means of withdrawing it. It shows that it is safer to only use a cash machine in one's own bank so that one can complain directly if the machine does not pay out.

pramsay13

Can you repeat the question?

[Deleted User]

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LobsterMemory

Does anyone have experience of a cash machine that doesn't pay out?

No

Flobberchops

I hope OP feels cleansed and refreshed, having unburdened himself of that essay.

Long story short: yes, ATMs suffer faults or mechanical breakdowns all the time. Infrequently enough for an individual to only be inconvenienced once every few years, but in the big scheme of things it's a daily occurrence. I'm no expert but I believe this is mainly the fault of worn or damaged banknotes. If this happens you should approach your bank (which may not be the same as the owner or operator of the ATM) and they will handle the dispute for you. There is a statutory maximum period between physical balancing happening at ATMs, meaning the dispute may be ongoing for around a couple of weeks. If the outcome is inconclusive the bank may fall back on a balance of probabilities to determine whether it was actually you at the machine, whether the machine dispensed after you walked away, and so on.

This may sometimes mean your bank is unable or unwilling to reimburse you, as they themselves would be out of pocket if the ATM operator didn't reverse the withdrawal. You then have the option of making a formal complaint, and escalating to the Ombudsman if that doesn't go the way you want it.

If you are likely to experience financial hardship or vulnerability while the ATM investigation is ongoing, again, speak to your bank - they may have the discretion to give a goodwill payment, temporary overdraft, or some other solution.

The main thing to remember is: don't take it personally. The ATM didn't break on purpose and your bank are just following procedure.

pommymike

!!! wrote: »

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What are you seeking here?

I want to raise the issue of the problem of cash machines not paying out, which may have affected other people who are equally astonished that the bank does not accept responsibility for the fact that one's account has been debited on the basis of an incorrect (not necessarily fraudulent but just wrong) statement that the I the customer have received £200 from a cash machine. Surely it is a scandal that customers are not warned of this danger if they use a cash machine believing that it is guaranteed to work correctly and their account will not be debited for money that has not been paid. I am cerrtainly astonshed and feel seriously aggrieved that the banks allow this kind of error to occur and deny responsibility for it.

eskbanker

I don't have any statistics to back this up but would imagine that a percentage in the very high 90s of ATM transactions pass off without a hitch.

Of the remaining small proportion, the vast majority will be resolved by reference to the ATM logs, etc.

On a minuscule sliver of occasions, a customer will be adamant that they didn't receive any cash and the bank(s) will be equally adamant that there is no evidence that cash wasn't dispensed, and that the balances all reconciled, etc.

How do you believe that these latter cases should be resolved?

boo_star

OP is upset that the bank want proof that the money was not dispensed before refunding them.

That's it.

If the OP would understand how it could be abused if they took everyone at face value they might understand why it'll take a few days before they refund them.

Ben8282

I have had very occasional problems of this nature over the decades. In each case it was resolved quite quickly by my bank as I am sure that it will be resolved for you by Natwest (I assume your saying withdraw from a cashzone account was an error and you meant to say a Natwest account as you refer to Natwest as your bank) if you give them a chance. You do not need to contact Cashzone; Natwest will do what is necessary.

Dr_Crypto

It happened to my boss a few years ago. I can’t remember what the end result was but he wasn’t very pleased at the time!
Surely no one expects a machine to work perfectly all the time?

Tigsteroonie

It's only happened to me once; the money was re-credited within 36hrs.