Yesterday (30th June) I used one of those nasty ATM machines that charges a fee to withdraw my own money. I don’t like the concept but sometimes the convenience outweighs the charge. What I didn’t realise until now is what happens when they go wrong.
The charge on the machine in question is static (£1.75) regardless of how much is withdrawn. Based on this I attempted to withdraw £100 (+ £1.75 charge). After the usual questions I accepted the charge and the machine began to issue my money but only got so far as £30 before grinding to a halt with an “Out Of Service” message. Despite this message it managed to spit out a receipt stating I had withdrawn £100.
Luckily for me, the pub this happened in is a local of mine and I know the staff very well. One of them had even watched the machine fail. They immediately contacted the company who supply the machine and this where things started to go wrong.
The company in question is:
Note Machine
Elvicta Estates
Crickhowell,
Powys
NP8 1DF
(Needless to say, there’s no information whatsoever on their website as to what happens when the machines screw up, it’s just pages of promotional sales blurb.)
It seems that despite having charged me for the complete withdrawal plus their own service charge, these people take no responsibility for refunding my missing £70. I have to contact my own bank and request an ATM Discrepancy Form, get it signed by the pub and then fax it off to them. Rather a lot of trouble on my behalf when the fault is entirely theirs. I’ve requested the form (in writing) from my bank today. This is one of those occasions when doing anything verbally is probably a mistake. I’ll update this Blog entry as things progress.