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If your only option is to wait for a new card to be
sent through the mail, expect it to take up to 10 business days.
When an ATM problem involves money, branch personnel
may be able to resolve the problem right then and there if you are
a customer.
"If you're a Bank of America customer, they should
be able to get your account information and tell you if a transaction
was completed or not, why the card wasn't returned, and settle with
you right then if necessary," Raymond says.
But some banks may make customers wait for a cash
problem to be resolved.
"The financial institution can submit an adjustment
to their ATM network. It goes to the owner of the machine, and it's
routed through the audit trail. It's part of the internal management
of the system," according to Brown.
Call the money line
Many ATMs have a dedicated phone line that's open 24 hours a day.
A computer monitors the ATM and sends messages to a computer on
the other end of the phone line if there's a problem. A technician
can then be notified if the problem is something branch personnel
can't handle.
If you try to use an ATM and see a message that the
machine is out of order, there's a good chance a technician has
already been notified of the problem.
Other ATMs have a dial-up connection and may not be
monitored 24 hours a day for malfunctions.
In general, ATMs have a good reputation for reliability.
"Considering the billions of ATM transactions,"
says John Hall of the American Bankers Association, "it's remarkable
they don't break down more often."
Mary Brown of PULSE says they didn't always work very
well.
"Twenty years ago, that wasn't the case. When
ATMs were coming into popularity they certainly had their problems.
Nowadays, they work well, and consumers have learned to rely on
the machines."
And, by the way, if an ATM does eat your card, don't
worry about the card being spit back out when the next customer
tries to use the machine. Everyone we asked said that wouldn't happen.
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