I was away on vacation, and used a convenient bank ATM. I asked for $200, and the slip from the machine says I got $200, but the ATM only gave me $180. When I complained to the bank manager, she told me she would check the machine the next time it was balanced, but I would have to make my claim with my own bank, not with hers. Why couldn't she balance the machine while I was there and pay me on the spot?
Its understandable that you would want to get this settled right away, with the bank that owned the machine, but that's just not the way things work with ATMs. The branch manager was right not to try to balance the machine while you waited. Taking an ATM out of service without normal security procedures is never something a bank should do.
As for suggesting that you take your claim to you own bank, the manager was correct there, too. The federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act, a consumer-protection regulation, makes your bank responsible for handling errors that affect your account with them. The correct way to pursue the problem is to contact your bank, provide the details of the transaction (date, time, location, amount, etc.) and tell them about the "short dispense" that you experienced. Your bank then works through the ATM network to verify that the machine made an error, and reimburses your account when the facts are confirmed. If it takes more than ten business days (two weeks) for the bank to finish the investigation, it should give you provisional credit until it's done.
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Its understandable that you would want to get this settled right away, with the bank that owned the machine, but that's just not the way things work with ATMs. The branch manager was right not to try to balance the machine while you waited. Taking an ATM out of service without normal security procedures is never something a bank should do.
