Last week, a SEB client aiming to draw €100 from ATM, only got €50. The bank has now restored missing money to the client’s account, saying the note had gotten stuck in the ATM mechanisms.
50 euro note lost in ATM now found
22nd February 2013, 10:59
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Kalver Brants, from Viljandi, attempted to draw €100 from a SEB ATM at local store Mulgi Market. However, the machine only delivered €50. The bank’s 24/7 customer service told the man technical personnel would be dealing with the problem, beginning next week, and it the ATM is to blame indeed, money would be restored to his account.
The technicians checked the ATM’s cash register and log, concluding that the machine contained the correct amount of money. Then, SEB claimed not guilty.
«However, if the client is convinced that he/she diligently counted the money on the spot, we are always ready to do additional checks,» the bank’s PR man Silver Vohu told the newspaper. «In that case, it is not only the cash register that is counted, but the entire machine is taken apart, to see if the missing banknote might be stuck somewhere in the mechanism. This is a tiniest chance.»
Counting on the tiniest chance, Mr Brants sent in an application to SEB, last week.
«To my surprise, I got a phone call from bank on Tuesday, telling me they’re sorry and that the €50 note had indeed been stuck in the machine. The sum was transferred to my bank account,» said Mr Brants. «I never believed this would come to anything, thinking it was my own fault.»
SEB communications chief Evelin Allas said that, on the basis of application by client, the Mulgi market ATM was rechecked and, a technician and security guard disassembled all parts of the safe. «And there they found a crumpled banknote, stuck on its way out,» said Ms Allas.
Immediately, upon the discovery, the client was contacted and apology issued for the inconvenience. «The money was immediately transferred to the client’s account. We hope things like that remain, as they are, extremely rare.»
«Extremely rare», according to Ms Allas, means that statistically speaking a thing like this happens once for 2,000,000 transactions.
She said that the €50 note may have gotten stuck by many factors coming into play together, the main reason being its poor quality. «It might have been a crumpled note placed in the cartridge,» specified Ms Allas.