Shortchanged at city ATMs

Cannot print transaction slip. Would you like to proceed anyway? This is an oft-posed question to cash-strapped ATM users these days. in a hurry to draw cash and get going, many punch the “Yes” button without a second thought, only to realise they’ve not just been denied the transaction slip, but also the amount they requested. The next message that flashes on the ATM reads, “Amount cannot be processed. Click ok for another transaction.”
Gundapally Srikanth, a systems architect at Visual Tech, who followed these instructions four times, before sensing something amiss, was left Rs 20,000 poorer. “I kept clicking OK to withdraw Rs 5,000 and the same message kept popping up. I got no cash in spite of four attempts, but the machine made a beep similar to the one you hear when you receive cash. I called the bank helpline immediately to check my last five transactions, and was shocked to find that Rs 20,000 was deducted from my salary account. All my five transactions were carried out, but I didn’t get the cash. The security guard at the ATM centre was clueless and since it was a Sunday, I couldn’t go to the bank. The records showed the transactions as ‘valid’, so there’s nothing much I could do.”
Frustrated Hyderabadis like Srikanth, who are tired of doing the rounds of ATMs and banks claim that this is a new way of looting them. Premchandra Movva, an employee of Wipro says, “This has become a common problem at HDFC ATMs. They refuse to give transaction slips and as a result you have no proof. After being forced to bear losses a couple of times, I am wary now. if the ATM says it can not print the slip, I do not continue the transaction and go elsewhere to draw money.”
This technical snag that leaves customers with a raw deal has become even more common ever since the RBI facilitated the use of any ATM to draw cash at no extra cost, points out Avnit Karan, a bank employee who was in a similar situation recently. He says, “I lost money when I tried to use my HSBC debit card to draw cash from an SBI ATM. I opted to go ahead with the transaction even though I knew I wouldn’t get the slip.”
The directives issued by G. Padmanabhan, Chief General Manager, RBI, says, “It is mandatory for the banks to reimburse the customers, the amount wrongfully debited on account of failed ATM transactions, within a maximum period of 12 working days.”
However, none of the banks follow this, so taking up the issue with the banks is of no use, says Sunny Francis, a BPO employee. “I wanted to withdraw Rs 14,000 from my Axis Bank account and used an HDFC ATM. I didn’t get the money, but it was deducted. When I took up the issue with HDFC, they said it was an Axis bank account so I had to take it up with them. Axis Bank said it was an HDFC card error.”
When contacted, Rajeev Chatterjee, senior VP, ATM and net banking, HDFC, says, “We refer to an audit trail before taking any decision on such complaints. Customers needn’t have a slip for proof. We have a log, so your claim can be verified and your amount will be reimbursed.”