ATMs have become something simple, convenient and well-known. However those whose card was at least once taken away can tell more about this ‘convenience’.
Some time ago my guests, an elderly American couple, got into an unpleasant accident. On the eve of leaving Kyiv one of Ukrainian ATMs took away an American plastic card. John and Joyce had stayed in Ukraine for three days, and cashed the money without any problems. Why the card had been chewed up – they didn’t know. Helpless, they were standing at the ATM. Joyce was reprimanding her husband in a whisper, and a 79-year old American was pushing all the buttons in embarrassment hoping the ATM would spit the card out.
It happened on Sunday, at 16:00. A girl in call-center ‘accepted an application’, having written down whose card and what bank it was, and where it had been taken away. Then she said politely that nothing would happen that day. And if I call the next day, I would be able to order an urgent encashment, and by Monday evening the card will be here.
To all my explanations that the card was needed faster – as Americans had a train at 13:00 the following day – she thought hard and said with uncertainty, ‘Well, then, by lunchtime, probably…’
Next morning started with calling the bank. They started to pick up only at 10:00. I was taken information once again: whose card, what bank, where the card had been taken away. If you need it till 13:00 – it’s not a problem, you can order an urgent encashment for six dollars. Do you agree to pay? Well then come to the office at a such-and-such metro station by two o’clock in the afternoon. I repeat that there is the train to another country at 13:00. It’s not possible to postpone. They ask to call later.
It’s 11:00 already. I still call back. And there is new information waiting! The card will be given back only on conditions that we give a fax from American bank, confirming that the card belongs to John Adams exactly. And the fact that it is engraved on the card that it was issued to him, and that he can show the identification documents isn’t taken into account. As well as none of them told about any fax. As well as it is night in California. No fax – no card.
Having become furious I said in that case let them leave the card as a memento, and went to see Americans off. It was good they only had to visit Russia on their way home, and they had some dollars in cash…
A humble remark from Americans that nothing like that had happened to them in any other country inspired me to do a research.
In the process I discovered a lot of new things. I will share with you the facts that took my interest.
- Requiring a written ‘certificate’ from the bank that the card is yours is a widely spread practice. So if you use ‘other’ ATMs, be ready for this.
- Many ATMs abroad and few in Ukraine do not chew up the card but spit it out after blocking it.
- It turns out that in case with American card we were lucky as we were offered an urgent encashment. None of five leading banks issuing cards offers such a service (according to these banks’ call-centers’ data).
- One national deputy whose card was chewed up late in the evening called and in very sharp words told the bank workers who he was and who they were. In half an hour he received his card.
- The bank which ATM put Americans into troubles is included into top-ten leaders among those issuing plastic cards. Besides this, it gives other banks their ATMs encashment services. This means it has enough specialists. They only don’t suppose emergency sets-off at the weekend.
- We are not the first. One our fellow countryman’s card was taken away by ATM in Finland. It happened two hours before the plane’s departure. But he managed to get a confirming fax from his bank – and get his money back.
- Another countryman’s card was chewed up in the USA. He came into a bank branch that had an ATM outside. The card was immediately taken out and apologies given.
- Ukrainian banks have issued 10 million cards more than there are inhabitants of Ukraine.
- Last year ATM celebrated its 40th anniversary. The first ATM was set in London, and it was invented by a Scottish man Shepard Baron.
- The most disappointing is that it is impossible to get insured against taking away. Because the reasons for such behavior of the machine is not just incorrect pin-code input, or any other mistake of a card-holder. There can be mistakes in ATM work, too.
In order not to be afraid of having your card taken away by ATM, you don’t need to buy valerian or introduce yourself to a call-center as a national deputy if the problem appears. It is enough to know the details of ATM work, and secrets of the way you can minimize inconveniences of taking away.
You can read about this here.
