Perhaps the thought has crossed your mind as you listen to the ATM sift through its internal supply of crisp bills that it may not dispense the amount you’ve requested. Maybe it’ll debit your account $200 but only give you $180. While machines may not err as often as humans, someone must have the job to decide in the end that a mistake has been made. In other words, who’s minding the machines?
Earlier this week I made a withdrawal at my bank’s automated teller. I tend to avoid actually going into banks because of the Home Depot Principle, which states that the first person I speak to will not be able to help me. The second person will just be leaving for lunch so I’ll be directed to a third person who will be on a personal phone call. The ATM, on the other hand, has nothing else to do in the world but give me my money.
So here’s what happened this last time. I withdrew $300 from our account, which I knew would arrive in twenties since that’s how our ATM delivers. Because I always count what comes out of the machine as I’m standing at the machine, I flipped through the twenties, and to my shock, two of them were singles. As soon as I saw George Washington’s face I knew this was a headache in the making. I turned around to see if anyone was on line behind me who could verify that I was still holding the bills exactly as they came out of the slot. No one was there.
I walked into the bank and went directly to a teller and said, “Look at this. I just used the ATM for a withdrawal and look what came out.” I handed her the bills and let her discover the singles in the same way I had. She stopped when she reached them and looked up.
TELLER: This isn’t possible.
OSV: Tell me about it.
She called over two other tellers who agreed that this never happens.
OSV: That you know of. Not everyone counts the money coming out of an ATM.
They summoned the assistant manager who asked the first teller when she had filled the cash machine. I didn’t hear her answer since they were walking into the locked room behind the ATM. The assistant manager said they’d be right back.
Fifteen minutes later the door opened and the teller approached me.
TELLER: I’m sorry. We didn’t find any other singles in the stack.
OSV: Then I guess I’m the only winner. How does this get rectified?
TELLER: Well, this never, ever happens. We’ll have to contact the outside source in charge of the ATM and see what they say.
OSV: What source? You filled up the machine.
The assistant manager reappeared.
ASST MGR: It’s actually another division that supplies the cash for the ATM.
OSV: My bank farms out the ATM?
ASST MGR: When we were North Fork we supplied the ATM in house. But now we’re Capital One and they handle it off premises.
OSV: So I had $300 deducted from my account, but I’m leaving my bank with $262 because the missing money can’t be accounted for here in this building. What if it turns out that there’s only a record of the number of bills sent to your ATM? How does it get verified that they were all twenties? How can it be determined that two of them were in fact one dollar bills?
She looked at me uneasily and said, “I don’t know, but we’ll call you.”
People I’ve told this story to had their own reactions and suggestions. More than a couple said they never count their ATM withdrawal but they will from now on. One said maybe I could have held the bills up to the security camera so at least there’d be a visible record that something had gone wrong. I wish I’d thought of that. I will next time.
The assistant manager called two days later and asked me to come in to the bank at the end of the week. She said it would take that long to process my $38 for release. I asked her how it came to be determined that I was telling the truth. She said to just come in and get my money. So I will.
Timely Thoughts occur in Daughter’s Featured Fotos
go mike
world peace for eman
art in odd places
cash and cope truck