ATM Troubles: Part Three

I know I should be over this, it's been seven months since this incident! Many days I've been fuming, this final blog entry on the topic will be the catharsis I've been needing:

Returning to my studio, I decided that this was going to be the one time I needed to be pro-active.

Complaint letter first draft:

VANCITY! DAMN YOU! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!!!

AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elisa

I thought about what results this might yield and decided that a bit of editing might be needed. So I tweaked it a bit and came up with - Complaint letter second draft:

To Whom It May Concern:

At approximately 1:30pm today, I used an ATM machine at the ***** Community Branch. During the transaction, I requested sixty dollars before the ATM machine froze. No cash or card came out. The woman behind the desk told me to wait in line to speak with a teller who, “if they weren’t too busy”, might retrieve my card for me. My card was found inside the machine, but while I was in the line up, someone had taken the cash. I now have $60 missing from my account because of a faulty ATM machine, and because I was told to leave the it unguarded in order to to get help.

This is a big disappointment; I feel that the security of my money was not a priority for your bank. I would like reassurance that your bank will not allow for me to be victimized and disempowered like this again. I want confirmation that I will have my money returned to me. Please look into this matter.

Sincerely,

Elisa

ATM troubles - part two

I lined up to talk to the teller and waited for about twenty minutes.

At the front of the line, "My card is stuck in the ATM outside!" I said to the teller, piteously.

Her response: "Fill out this form and I'll take a look".

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, she returned, "Well it looks like someone took your money while you were in the line up to talk to me. But we have your card."

I looked at her, and she simply stared back. I raised my eyebrows expectantly- I got in return, silence and a blank look.

"Will I ever get my money back?" I asked weakly.

"Maybe, we'll do an investigation and give you a call."

"Ok".

But twenty minutes after leaving the bank I began to realize that it wasn't OK...

ATM troubles - part one

One sunny Wednesday afternoon, I had to deposit some cheques and take out some cash. I took a pleasant walk to the bank and then evaluated the two lineups in front of me - inside the bank, about 20 people waited to be helped by the tellers, but at the ATMs there were only four in queue. After a short wait, I trustingly put my bank card into the machine. It took my two cheques, but when I asked it to give me 60 dollars, a flickering screen told me that the card was stuck!

So I waited.

I peered into the bank. Nobody was at liberty to help me.

I waited some more.

The ATM flickered on blankly.

I went into the bank, hesitant about leaving the ATM for too long. I caught the attention of the woman sitting behind a desk by the doorway. After I'd told her about the card ordeal, she suggested I get into the line up for a teller. "Well," she added as an afterthought, "they'll help you get your card back only if they aren't too busy. They look really busy, but you can line up and ask anyways."

What else could I do? I glanced hopefully one more time at the ATM machine, but it only continued to flicker at me apathetically.