Any experience of a DAB/ATM failing to deliver your withdrawal?

[mint]

I went to withdraw 200 euros from a DAB belonging to another bank because my own bank's DAB was en panne[:(]

That was about 2 weeks ago.  When the machine didn't give me my 200 euros, I tried again but this time, I had to lower the amount to 100 euros (I suppose it's to do with the 300 euro a day limit).

I discovered about 3 days later from my account on-line that I had been debited for the 200 euros that I didn't get.

So, I went into the Banque Tarneaud, whose DAB it was, to inform them.  The branch said to begin with that they had no access to DAB records but, after some insistence on my part, they suggested that I went to my own bank.  As I am with la Banque Postale, I went into the post office where one of the counter staff disappeared with my complaint and emerged some 15 minutes later to say I had to write to the bank and suggested that using the on-line messagerie would be quicker.

Tried to email with no success so I just rang up and the woman said she'd make a reclamation and I should get a phone call about it next week (that was last week).

So, I tried another email, only to get an answer back that I had to write.  Now, before I wrote or indeed rang up yet again, I'd like to ask whether anyone on the Forum has experienced this problem and, if so, how they went about tackling it and, more importantly, whether they got their money back?

[Pierre ZFP]

Sorry, not had this happen to me but can I suggest that if you do end up writing/calling that you state as exactly as possible the date and time when the failed transaction took place as that will make it much easier for the bank to trace it.  They should have a descrepancy on that machine of €200 that they don't know what to do with !

[PaulT]

Sweets my only experience is with a Spanish bank ATM and a UK bank account.

Did not get the money, phoned my bank (UK) from Spain they credited my account immediately whilst they investigated and I heard nothing more.

French banks may be a little different :(

[Chancer]

I think most French banks just try their best to send you elsewhere and file all such written enquiries in the bin even those récommandée, you might end up having to go to the gendarmerie to porter plainte before they will take any notice.

I think that is one disadvantage of La Banque postale, the post offices dont really see it as anything to do with them.

Yesterday I recieved 2 letters from LBP to a person that does not and has never lived at my address, this person or maybe scammer has recently opened an account using my address and the letters were the identifiant and mot de passe to access it, the person is unknown at the Mairie and La poste didnt want to know other than putting leaving the letters with them i.e. the letters in the bin for me.

Sorry but I am not in the habit of giving away the keys to possibly someones life savings without some sort of reciept and that is something that my La Poste firmly refuses to do in any situation, I only got one last time for a mini-max parcel through insisting, refusing to leave and because a manager was there on a visit and told them they had to comply.

[Patf]

Hoping you manage to get it sorted, SW17. it sounds complicated.

I had a problem once, but with my own bank. No cash came out of the machine (outside). They asked me to write a letter, by hand , in french, stating what had happened. Which I did and the cash was given to me, never heard any more. After that I always use the inside machine, to have witnesses.

It might help if you put it in writing, and delivered by hand to both banks, keep copies.

[Pommier]

Do you have a named 'conseilleur' at your branch of Banque Postale? We do, and if anything like that were to happen, I'd phone her and ask her to sort it out.

[suein56]

[quote user="Pommier"]Do you have a named 'conseilleur' at your branch of Banque Postale? We do, and if anything like that were to happen, I'd phone her and ask her to sort it out.[/quote]

Totally agree with Pommier, get on to your helpful conseiller and get him/her to sort it out. You might well need to put the (non) event down in writing at some point so get your facts down in French now.

Sue

[mint]

Thank you, Pat and thank you Pommier.

Would you believe, I just got rid of some stuff from the bank when I did a clear out only 2 days ago and I am pretty sure I had the name of the conseilleur on some of the bits of paper I got rid of![:-))]

I have just had so much out-dated rubbish in trying to clear out the other house that, in my infinite wisdom, I decided that some things were no longer necessary![:-))]

Still, that conseilleur might have been long gone by now as we opened the account maybe 6 years ago.

I will go raid the rubbish bin and I will pluck up all my courage to ring the bank yet again.  That's what gives me the heebies-jeebies, ringing up some public body that has an electronic switchboard to negotiate!

Edit:  Pommier, I have found the conseilleur's name and phone number in an old diary so I will give her a shot to begin with tomorrow and, if I get no joy, I will write to the bank.

Mind you, whether I can pronounce the name or not is another matter.  She was, as I recall, one of those beautiful, black girls with some African type name that I just KNOW I won't get right!

[mint]

An update in case someone out there might be wondering what takes place next if a similar thing happens to them.

In the post this morning was a letter from my bank inviting me to put in writing my complaint and to say to be sure to include a date and a signature.  I suppose they just want you to write it all down in case you are making a fraudalent claim.

Fair enough, will get the letter off this evening when I go out to the gym.

[idun]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Thank you, Pat and thank you Pommier.

Would you believe, I just got rid of some stuff from the bank when I did a clear out only 2 days ago and I am pretty sure I had the name of the conseilleur on some of the bits of paper I got rid of![:-))]

I have just had so much out-dated rubbish in trying to clear out the other house that, in my infinite wisdom, I decided that some things were no longer necessary![:-))]

Still, that conseilleur might have been long gone by now as we opened the account maybe 6 years ago.

I will go raid the rubbish bin and I will pluck up all my courage to ring the bank yet again.  That's what gives me the heebies-jeebies, ringing up some public body that has an electronic switchboard to negotiate!

Edit:  Pommier, I have found the conseilleur's name and phone number in an old diary so I will give her a shot to begin with tomorrow and, if I get no joy, I will write to the bank.

Mind you, whether I can pronounce the name or not is another matter.  She was, as I recall, one of those beautiful, black girls with some African type name that I just KNOW I won't get right!

[/quote]

Rubbish bin? I would never leave such details in my bin, no one would be able to read them before they went in the bin...... and that was before all the ID thefts, just seemed prudent to me.

Our conseillere is mentioned at the top of our on line banking, is yours sweet17?

[Judith]

This is one reason why I always use the ATM inside if at all possible - besides which, it is warmer inside, with no wind to blow away the notes or the receipt .. I have never understood why people use the outside ATMs when the bank is open ...

[mint]

[quote user="idun"] Rubbish bin? I would never leave such details in my bin, no one would be able to read them before they went in the bin...... and that was before all the ID thefts, just seemed prudent to me.

Our conseillere is mentioned at the top of our on line banking, is yours sweet17?
[/quote]

No, no name but then I suppose the banque postale is not like other banks, not so personal.

What I don't understand is why, when I rang, the woman didn't say to put it in writing.  Still, there is a reference number for my complaint and it was in the category called RISQUE 2, whatever that means.

Anyway, I wrote the letter, giving all the facts and also said that on that day both OH and I were at the DAB and we both signed and dated the letter, so we await a reply.

There is something I want to do with the money if I ever got it back and, no, it's not for buying anything or to spend on myself.

[NormanH]

I have never had this problem with using a different bank, but I did have the experience of the machine snatching the notes back because  according to the cashier I complained to I 'had not been quick enough' to take them

I had to give the receipt for the transaction to her and swear that I had not had the money.

Head office then did a check on the ATM takings of that day, but it took 3 weeks to get my money back.

[mint]

I think that I, too, was timed out.

You see, with this ATM, you could choose what denomintion notes you wanted and me not being at all "calée pour les chiffres", was working out what notes I wanted after choosing 4 tens (if you wanted 8 tens, for example, you had to press the number 4 twice, you can't just press 8)), after I got to the twenties, I was trying to attract OH's attention to help me work out what the rest should amount to but, in his usual infuriating fashion, he was admiring some buildings opposite the road.

So, I guess that was it, Norman, I was timed out.

[AnOther]

[quote user="Judith"]I have never understood why people use the outside ATMs when the bank is open ...[/quote]I have never understood why people use the inside ATM's when there is one outside ...

They are not going to believe or disbelieve you any more or any less whichever you use, or are you suggesting you go inside and ask a member of staff to observe you withdrawing your money ?

[mint]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

What I don't understand is why, when I rang, the woman didn't say to put it in writing.  Still, there is a reference number for my complaint and it was in the category called RISQUE 2, whatever that means.

Anyway, I wrote the letter, giving all the facts and also said that on that day both OH and I were at the DAB and we both signed and dated the letter, so we await a reply.

There is something I want to do with the money if I ever got it back and, no, it's not for buying anything or to spend on myself.

[/quote]

Wouldn't you know, had a letter back a couple of days ago and, in case you are wondering, NO there wasn't a cheque enclosed[:'(]

It says that this necessitates "des recherches spécifiques" and that our letter has been forwarded to the "Centre National de la Monétique", whoever they might be, and that they will give us a response "dans les meilleurs délais".

More waiting then but with what eventual result?

Still, with all the palaver, I suppose that it would stop people lying that they didn't get their money as I assume that these investigations should throw up where the heck the money went?

[nectarine]

Is there any French equivalent of a Banking Ombudsman that you contact?

Good luck with this,

[mint]

[quote user="nectarine"]Is there any French equivalent of a Banking Ombudsman that you contact?

Good luck with this,[/quote]

Thank you, Nectarine.

No, I know next to nothing about the banking system in France, so I have no idea about an ombudsman.

I am waiting for this promised response and, hopefully, they will give me my money back.

If they don't, I will obviously have to look at what further action I need to take.

Could take a while, eh?[;-)]

[idun]

This feels like you have been mugged, literally mugged.

After what I have seen of the bordelic french banking system, I doubt that they ever balance their books. They will say that they do, but my experiences say that they cannot possibly be even trying to balance other than to the nearest 10k or is that a 100k which isn't actually balancing at all.

Start looking into what you can do including a porte plainte as for the moment you have been robbed.

[mint]

[quote user="idun"]This feels like you have been mugged, literally mugged.

After what I have seen of the bordelic french banking system, I doubt that they ever balance their books. They will say that they do, but my experiences say that they cannot possibly be even trying to balance other than to the nearest 10k or is that a 100k which isn't actually balancing at all.

Start looking into what you can do including a porte plainte as for the moment you have been robbed.

[/quote]

Thank you, Id.  I will let it ride for a week or two and then I will start pestering first my own bank and then the bank whose DAB it is.

I just have so much on my plate at the moment that I feel a bit under siege.

Need to keep my sanity and not lose it completely (which will be much more than losing this money).

[mint]

[quote user="idun"]This feels like you have been mugged, literally mugged.

After what I have seen of the bordelic french banking system, I doubt that they ever balance their books. They will say that they do, but my experiences say that they cannot possibly be even trying to balance other than to the nearest 10k or is that a 100k which isn't actually balancing at all.

Start looking into what you can do including a porte plainte as for the moment you have been robbed.

[/quote]

I have come back to tell you about the letter we have received from the bank today and it says that there was no incident during la bande journal and no erreur de caisse.

Now I am not too happy about their "findings" because they make out that OH and I were lying.  We KNOW that we didn't receive the money so is this saying that we did?

Do we do porte plainte, small claims, what?

By now it's not only about the money, although it very clearly is, but our integrity is now put on the line?

Please keep your suggestions coming as this is beginning to bug me and I can't stand being accused of dishonesty, even if that's only implied.

[mint]

[quote user="idun"]This feels like you have been mugged, literally mugged.

After what I have seen of the bordelic french banking system, I doubt that they ever balance their books. They will say that they do, but my experiences say that they cannot possibly be even trying to balance other than to the nearest 10k or is that a 100k which isn't actually balancing at all.

Start looking into what you can do including a porte plainte as for the moment you have been robbed.

[/quote]

I have come back to tell you about the letter we have received from the bank today and it says that there was no incident during la bande journal and no erreur de caisse.

Now I am not too happy about their "findings" because they make out that OH and I were lying.  We KNOW that we didn't receive the money so is this saying that we did?

Do we do porte plainte, small claims, what?

By now it's not only about the money, although it very clearly is, but our integrity is now put on the line?

Please keep your suggestions coming as this is beginning to bug me and I can't stand being accused of dishonesty, even if that's only implied.

[idun]

Apart from running around the house screaming and cussing horribly, once I had calmed down, I think that I would call my nearest DGCCRF initially pleasantly soliciting their help telling them all about it and ask what to do.

When you call give them a sob story about being etrangers and being treat like liars when the money did not come out of the machine and that you are victims of fraud and theft.

Because this is either fraud or theft, and you need to get some of idea as to how this should be dealt with.

And then I would do a porte plainte. I would probably call the Banque de France too, because once I start, there is never any stopping me, I call all and sundry and get as much info as possible.

[mint]

[quote user="idun"]Apart from running around the house screaming and cussing horribly, once I had calmed down, I think that I would call my nearest DGCCRF initially pleasantly soliciting their help telling them all about it and ask what to do.

When you call give them a sob story about being etrangers and being treat like liars when the money did not come out of the machine and that you are victims of fraud and theft.

Because this is either fraud or theft, and you need to get some of idea as to how this should be dealt with.

And then I would do a porte plainte. I would probably call the Banque de France too, because once I start, there is never any stopping me, I call all and sundry and get as much info as possible.

[/quote]

Thanks, Id, I have now got a number for DGCCRF and I think that I will also enlist the help of the new mayor as he is a new broom in our village and our paths have crossed on numerous occasions recently because of volunteer work I have been doing in our commune.

You know what, after I made a porte plainte last year, I heard nothing further but I told the fraudster that I had done it and he just gave me all my money back.

I can say, hand on heart, that this is not about the money as I have earmarked it for something which is not going to benefit OH or myself.  But, I can't now let the matter go as we were both professional people in our working lives (different spheres but involving trust and integrity) and I cannot accept a decision which makes us out to be liars and cheats.

I will write to the Banque Postale as well and tell them what I propose doing and tell them that we do not like their implication that we are dishonest people.

Also, and le Haut might chip in here, I am going to look up what I learned about putting in a small claims against the bank. Le Haut posted about it here and he also kindly wrote to me about it.  Just need to hunt out the forms from the old computer.

[idun]

Tout a fait, it is your reputations and integrity that are being called into question which is inadmissible!