Personal Banking: Inefficient ATMs, vanishing ATMs

Last week the Deccan Chronicle carried a letter to the Editor about Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). The writer was pointing out that many of the ATMs in Chennai were either malfunctioning or were often out of cash. One can easily imagine the inconvenience such situations cause the customers.

On the 18^th of this month I went to an ATM belonging to a major new gen bank in Adayar. The purpose was to draw cash for a trip to Cochin. After I keyed in the details, a message flashed across the screen saying that my request could not be processed. I repeated the procedure to make sure and got the same result.

I had to search around for another ATM and found one belonging to the same bank in Beseant Nagar. Fortunately that one worked and I was able to collect cash. But there were avoidable tension and waste of time.

What happened to me earlier in the month is incredible. I was to leave for Bangalore by the early morning Shadapthi Express, and on the previous evening went to our ‘friendly’ neighborhood ATM to withdraw money. I had a real shock.

The ATM had vanished!

A shop man next to the erstwhile booth told me that the ATM had been closed down a few days earlier. Since the bank involved (the same as in the incident narrated earlier) is a leading one, I could not call it a fly by night operation.

I am a client of the said bank, but had no intimation of the closure of the ATM. May be they published a notice in the newspapers but I had not seen it.

Do the banks treat ATMs as a necessary evil and therefore do not pay sufficient attention to maintaining the machines and stocking them with enough money. They should be able to gather effective intelligence on the withdrawal pattern at the different outlets since they are computer operated. That should help them to keep adequate fund levels at each booth. In any case, there cannot be any excuse for the poor maintenance of the machines. The logical conclusion is that the banks do not pay adequate attention to this branch of their business.

Every client has the right to withdraw money from the available balance in his account during banking hours. Preventing an account holder from doing so can, I am sure, attract legal action against the bank concerned.

An ATM is a cash withdrawal facility that is meant to be available on 24x7 on basis.

Irrespective of what the small print says, the banks cannot escape the responsibility to keep the ATMs functional around the clock.

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Also see: ATM Service

Shortchanged by ATM? Here’s what to do.

An automatic teller machine is a man made contraption. It can malfunction sometimes. The first rule in such situations is – Don’t panic.

I had a bad experience at the friendly neighborhood ATM three weeks back. Around 7 PM I punched in the amount to be withdrawn and a request for a printout. Promptly the printout came showing debit for the amount to my account, but no money. Momentarily I was a bit confused about what to do. The worry was whether I would loose the money.

Then I called the guard who was outside ad explained to him what happened. Using the telephone inside the booth he tried to contact whoever was to be contacted in such an eventuality. But – I’m sure you guessed it – the telephone didn’t work. The guard was apologetic. He suggested that I go to the branch under which the ATM came and report the matter.

I did that. Fortunately the manager (a new one and not the same official mentioned in Personal Banking: Non-service without a smile) was still there and was very cooperative, with a warm smile on his face. He told me not to worry and that the debit would be corrected. He had an assist call the customer care department and explain the problem to them. Then ‘Complaints’ asked me to answer one verification question (in this instance, my birth date). I was given a complaint number and assured that the rectification would be done within seven days.

Yesterday I found that debit entry was reversed, but on the 9^th day. Good enough. At least I didn’t lose the money. I dropped in at the bank and thanked the manager. He was all smiles and said, “Any time, sir.”

I am sure that he didn’t mean another problem at the ATM.

Thank you Manager, and keep smiling. That makes a great difference to the customers.

Ends.

Also see: ATM Service

ATM Service

The ATMs make cash withdrawals so easy and avoids the risk of keeping much money at home. You walk in to an ATM facility, insert the card, punch in your personal code and the amount to be drawn, and presto, the money is in your hands. That is, if there money in the ATM machine.

There is an ATM booth about two hundred meters away from my house. So convenient. I normally draw money before or after my evening walk. A few weeks back when I went to that ATM, there was an out of order board hung at the door. The guard told me there was no cash. I thought it was one of those exceptional situations.

Well, it happened again yesterday (September 1). When I went to the ATM booth around 5 P.M. the ‘out order’ notice was there. The guard explained, politely of course, that the machine (not the bank) ran out of money and that it would be replenished within an hour. I went back after some time but funds hadn’t arrived yet. The guard was apologetic and assured me that by next morning the ATM surely would be operational again. The bank involved is the same as the one mentioned in my post, Personal Banking: Non-service without a smile

I decided to blog this as a warning to others. If you are going on a journey and plan to draw money from ATM en route to the airport or railway station, you could be taking a risk. It is safer to collect cash earlier and keep, to avoid the risk of traveling without enough money on hand. ATM card in the pocket is not always a substitute for hard cash.

Ends.

Personal Banking: Non-service without a smile

I lost my ATM card on July 13, reported the loss the same day to the bank and was assured that a new card would be delivered within ten days. On July 16 there was an SMS from the bank saying that the new card had been dispatched to Chennai Branch by courier for onward transmission.

After waiting till 27th I went to the bank around noon. A grim looking clerk listened to me and turned to his computer. After a while I reminded him that he hadn’t responded to me. He rudely told me that he was busy and there was a help counter from where I should take a coupon and await my turn. When I asked him why he hadn’t said that in the first place, his answer was, ‘I’m telling you now.’

I went to the manager who was sitting at a small table outside his cabin just ten feet way. He said he had seen what happened. He took the details from me and turned to his computer. After several minutes passed I told him that it was difficult for me [nearing 74] to stand [there was no chair for the customer]. He answered that his computer was too slow and I should wait in the lobby till I was called.

Strangely at that time a worker replaced the number sign on the last counter [next to the manager’s seat] with a ‘Senior Citizens’ board. The counter was not manned.

After some time I returned to the manager and said that I would go [since it was my lunch time] and he could give me ring. He agreed but no call came.

On 28^th morning I phoned. The girl who attended said pleasantly that the manager would call back. He did, in the afternoon with an incredible story – he couldn’t follow up the matter because the power failed and my data on his computer was lost! Imagine a bank computer without back up power or auto-save! He took the details again. So far he hasn’t come back. And here I am – an old man literally without any money.

You might think that this happened with a nationalized bank. No, it is one of India’s top new-gen banks!

What should I do? Blow the whistle?

Ends.

Also see:

Slow down on fast track