It's everyone's fear when making an ATM withdrawal: You put your card in, enter your PIN, and no cash comes out.
Noreen Brandenburg is out almost $500 after an ATM took her card and failed to dispense any money. She says she was using an out-of-network ATM when the machine malfunctioned. "I got my card back, but no money," she said.
The $480 was deducted from her account.
Fortunately, ATM failures are rare, but they do happen.
So there are some things you can do to protect yourself, according to Bankrate.com:
- Always use your own bank's ATM, if possible.
- Try to limit cash withdrawals to $200, just in case there is some problem.
But if you have a problem like Brandenburg's, there are steps you can take:
- Take a cell phone photo of the ATM, and of any receipt you get.
- Do not try to use the ATM again: It may malfunction a second time.
- Call your bank immediately and file a claim.
- Ask them if they can give you what's called a "provisional credit," where they put the money in your account temporarily until their investigation is complete.
In Brandenburg's case, her bank and the ATM's bank both promised to speed up their investigations so she can get resolution in days, not weeks.
"That's a long time to live without money," Brandenburg said.
In Brandenburg's case, it appears that bank was not at fault: investigators say there was a technical error in the connection to her bank.
Meantime, try to use your own bank's ATM whenever possible, so you don't waste your money.
