It was an ordinary Saturday for me last March 22, except for the mangled P500 bill I took out of the BDO automated teller machine. Nope, it definitely doesn’t look like something the girl at SM would take from a customer. After a dismayed sigh, I shrugged it off. A few moments after, I was already contemplating my wet market list and forgot about it.
This morning, I saw the mangled bill again. I must admit I was tempted to forget about it but I could smell a MoneySmart moment, so off I went to the BDO branch near the ATM machine to ask if they can replace the bill.
“I have a sort of weird request,” I told the lady in blue behind a desk. “This is one of the bills I got out of the ATM machine near this branch…” I let my voice trail into a sweet silence.
She wasn’t really surprised, come to think of it. “Wait here, let me ask them if they got the other half,” she said.
After a few minutes, she came back and told me they didn’t find the other half. She wants me to show her the ATM receipt. ATM receipt? It was probably lying down in my sorry excuse for a filing system, or rolled up with all the plastic bags that I came home with after my market day.
“You can also ask your bank to give you a report that will prove that you withdrew from our ATM machine on that day,” she said.
Errr.. sounds pretty complicated. I told the lady with a smile that perhaps I would come back. As I type this blog post however, I’m thinking what if that was my last money and I needed to buy medicine for an ailing baby? What if my son’s graduation depended on that money? Even if I had the receipt today, the faulty ATM would have already caused me grief over the weekend. Shouldn’t the bank be held accountable for that? The lady, in fact, added that they had a similar incident the previous week, showing that their machine was indeed faulty.
Glad that it didn’t caused me much grief, though. Perhaps I should frame it to remind me that money is just money. Attitude towards it is the one that causes either grief or happiness.
March 26th, 2008 at 8:33 am
I think thats an SOP for banks. You should have kept the receipt when you noticed the bill for reference in your complaint.
I think the bank teller handles it pretty well. If im in the same situation i would also ask for a receipt.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:36 am
that’s the importance of having an ATM receipt everytime you transact using ATM. This is your only proof that you indeed used the machine and it is really for you and the bank security. That small piece of paper tells a lot of information.
Don’t be surprise if you have an ATM problem and the bank personnel ask you provide this receipt because this will always be the first thing the will ask you.. NO EXCEPTION… otherwise, they will treat the complaint as bogus since…, let’s accept it.., ang daming mandirigma sa Pinas..
Your receipt would be the bank’s reference if their ATM was indeed have a problem. If you don’t have one,, then sorry for you..
Sheng,, Bank don’t just replace ATM when it has a problem.. Find out how much an ATM costs and you’ll see why. Everything inside the ATM is repairable just like your PC.
The bank employee handled the complaint pretty well, she just followed the standard procedure.
March 26th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Baka talagang putol na nung nilagay sa ATM? possible yon di ba? wala ka talagang makikitang other half…
March 25th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Ei, Salve!
“Glad that it didn’t caused me much grief, though. Perhaps I should frame it to remind me that money is just money. Attitude towards it is the one that causes either grief or happiness.”
Certainly, I agree with your introspection. However, this is a matter of concern. You pointed out that it is a good thing you didnt need it for emergency. But what about for those who earn just barely enough? Am sure that every single cent matters to them.
I must say that the bank should look into it and if necessary, replace their defective machines. After all, every client is charged for all the transactions done. Therefore, clients should be spared the hassle of going after a mangled bill. Don’t you think so?