At a bank location ATM machine in Barcelona I received no money three times, but was debited by my bank. Fortunately, I had a print-out from the ATM machine bank showing that within a second the transaction was cancelled. Nevertheless, it took me around two months and much effort to get the amount re-credited to my account. It happened again about two months ago and I have the cancellation copy. This time I have done nothing to see if my bank (Scotiabank) would re-credit me. Nothing has happened to date. Is this some major scam by banks?
It's a good idea to experiment to find out how quick your bank is to respond. After all, the bank may not have any idea there is a problem.
When you delay your report to the bank that an ATM malfunctioned, it not only diminishes the bank's chances at having access to timely report information to help them straighten matters out, it can also cause you to lose certain consumer protections designed to minimize your losses. There's also the little matter of not having the use of the funds until the bank hears about the problem and sets it straight.
Contact your bank right away, provide them with copies of the documentation you already have, and ask them to correct the error. By the way, there's certainly no conspiracy here. With the billions of electronic transactions that criss-cross the globe, particularly those crossing international borders, there are bound to be screw-ups. That your account has been hit twice like this seems about as likely as lightening striking twice at the same place, but that happens, too!
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