ATM trouble?

[KoratCat]

No cash on market day, because the ATM is out of order? Lucky you!!!

A lot more trouble have those who tried to withdraw on that machine before the "Out of Order" sign was put up. Because everything worked, except the delivery of the cash. The desired amount was debited und is unavailable until the bank has sorted out the jumble. What will take one week according to the bank.
It happened to me before at another ATM, but there it took two weeks until my money was placed at my disposal again. It's fruitless to terrorize the employees of the bank in panic, because they cannot pay out money that is blocked by the ATM. Neither the bank the ATM belongs to nor the bank that keeps your account. But I advise for your safety to inform both banks and the police of this irregularity.

[asiaexpat]

you withdrew money and nothing came out???

thats worse than what hppened to me--i was at a machine and i got a phone call right as i was taking the money out-i was distracted by the call and the machine nate my card as i did not take it out in time.

that was one of those electronic accounts so i had to create a whole new account etc.. what a hassle

[Isaan Rollie]

That the machine ate my card because I was too excited about holding a pack of cash again and counted it while the machine was peeping frantically to remind me to pick it up happened to me more than once. But I always got it back. Usually from the bank the machine belongs to. If you don't get there in time they send your card to the issuing bank that is keeping your account. You gotta go and pick it up there. Kinda difficult with a foreign card though, I think.

[asiaexpat]

That the machine ate my card because I was too excited about holding a pack of cash again and counted it while the machine was peeping frantically to remind me to pick it up happened to me more than once. But I always got it back. Usually from the bank the machine belongs to. If you don't get there in time they send your card to the issuing bank that is keeping your account. You gotta go and pick it up there. Kinda difficult with a foreign card though, I think.

It was a local bank and I was told that I could not get it back

[KoratCat]

It was a local bank and I was told that I could not get it back

That just goes to show that you should inform yourself from many sources and not take the word of local specialists only. I don't doubt that they actually believed this.

That the machine eats my card if I don't pick it up as long as the machine beeps to remind me I'm aware of quite a while now. What were if I did actually forget my card in my fever of holding cash again, if the machine didn't secure it for me?

My wife and I have joint bank accounts and ATM cards each. When we go shopping together I sometimes forget to bring my own. So my wife gives me hers to withdraw. If I'm not aware of her card having another PIN than mine, I might type in my PIN - which is the wrong one for her card - three times in succession. Then the machine eats that card also. Trying to secure it from somebody who might be abusing it

Back to the original topic: When I type in my request to withdraw the machine connects to the database with my account, first "reserving" the requested amount, so nobody else can withdraw money from my maybe already empty account with a second ATM card somewhere else or with the bankbook just seconds or less later.

This reservation does not get automatically cancelled if the connection between database and ATM is interrupted. For the database the transaction counts as completed unless the ATM sends a command back to cancel it, which it cannot do if the connection is interrupted.

As I said before, the first time it happened to me it took two weeks to get my money back on my account. I've been at my bank today. As a customer at that branch who knows about all the employees, I was treated very well and they fixed the problem within 30 minutes. Maybe it is also just very much easier with all the new communication media now.

But I would not rely on it. It is better to be a little careful and sometimes withdraw inside the bank waiting in line with the bankbook in hand, especially if a problem might get you into a desparate situation . . .

KoratCat