ATM eating bank cards!

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kayc
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ATM eating bank cards!

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Post by kayc »

I've had it happen to me twice here in North Cyprus. Both times by the Guaranti bank ATMs. Let me tell you, if you want to be inconvienenced, this is the way to experience it. My card is issued by a main USA bank, and Guaranti promotes themselves as an internationally accomodating institution - so I thought it was the smartest option.

The first incident took 2 weeks to resolve and no cause given other than random malfunction. I was told the company that they contract to service the ATMs only does so once a week. I waited, furious at their snail pace response and total lack of service... then they announced they could not find my card! So, I spent the entire day sitting in the Lefcosia location lobby and refused to leave until they found it which they proceeded to do that very day.

No doubt if the machine had malfunctioned and was doling out excessive amounts - they would have been "johnny on the spot" to resolve it.

Well, I was stupid enough to assume it was a fluke, as it has occurred again. Just a fair warning to others to expect lousy service, shrugs of shoulders at your impatience. Beware of the Guaranti Bank's ATMs.

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Re: ATM eating bank cards!

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Post by The Dog Walker »

I agree with your feelings. I suffered similarly with Guaranti machines in Alsancak and another in Girne. On both occasions I had to go to a Girne branch, fill in forms, and on the first occsion, I had to wait a month for the amount to be credited back to my account, and to retrieve my card. On the second, it was 3 weeks, so I've never used them again. Had the staff been amiable and helpful, things would have been different, but they were quite the opposite, so a lesson learned.

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Post by dippersgirl »

Mine was with Ziraat bank, exactly the same story!!!

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Post by sophie »

However there are two sides to every coin (no pun intended) On the only occasion I have ever had any problem with Garanti (8 years ago when a machine situated away from the bank ate my card) I spoke to a Garanti bank in Girne, was told to bring my passport to their branch. In the mean time someone was sent to the ATM in question, 4 other cards were also removed from the inside of the machine. I confirmed the question asked of me and the card returned. All in less than 36 hours. Now of course the next time I use a Garanti ATM, all hell with probably go wrong.!!!!!

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Post by tomsteel »

Once bitten, twice shy springs to mind.

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Post by kayc »

Three times bitten actually - as I failed to mention another dubious transaction I encountered with the Guaranti Bank ATM earlier this summer. I went to the ATM to withdraw some cash from my account and selected TL as the currency I wanted to receive. (it's been my perception that using the TL is preferred by merchants, which is understandable) - however upon seeing the exchange rate displayed on the screen of the machine was largely exaggerated ( I monitor the rates daily) and would have amounted to an additional 300 TL taken from my account - I opted to press the "cancel button". Even so, the machine proceeded to complete the transaction much to my shock. I took the receipt to the Guaranti office in Lefcosia and explained what had happened and ask for the refund to reflect the current day's exchange rate. I was met with indifference, and told to call the headquarters offices in Turkey. Of course I promptly followed their recommendations and made the call but was met with a constant busy signal and when I finally got through there was no option to speak to someone in English... just a recording in Turkish. I subsequently sent off an email, to which was never acknowledged or answered.

I have often considered having my funds transferred to a local bank here in North Cyprus, but after these experiences, I know better not to in all honesty after contemplating the possibility of my entire balance vanishing into thin air and only to be met with a "shrug of the shoulders". Lesson learned!

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Post by Deniz1 »

I withdraw money twice a month and have done for 15 years lost my card three times different companies very time i go to an atm my heart is in my mouth! I have a uk debit card and getting anew one here is very complicated.

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Post by kayc »

Any suggestions on a way around this obvious problem? Anyone?

At this point, I will NOT even consider transferring my banking here. So what other option other than risking another encounter with the ATM?

What really tee'd me off was the teller's response to my inquiry "when can I expect to get my card back?" She said "maybe Monday" and shrugged her shoulders. That's 6 days wait. (Monday is Christmas Day, I expect the bank is closed) I was withdrawing $ to buy some Christmas gifts - and now...I can't. Ruined my Christmas... and I told her that. Her response was just an additional "shrug of the shoulders".

tough luck.

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Post by Lovelife »

One suggestion, and its go into the bank and withdraw money, then there will be no worrying and hassle. I know ATMs are there for convenience to withdraw money when we need it but unless the bank decides to improve its methods of retrieving cards, people will continue to take a risk using thew card when withdrawing money.

LL

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Post by Keithcaley »

I know that this does not solve your 'present buying' problem, but the bank should be open on Christmas day - Muslims don't have Christmas day off!

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Post by Whatarotty »

Any UK card retained in a ATM should be cut in two and returned to issuing bankers......NOT returned to cardholder, so if you do get back a uk card however long it takes I would be very grateful....

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Post by Deniz1 »

I had to pay 70tl to HSBC to get mine back I dont want it cut up its my property not theirs. Its my only access to money so what would i live on while waiting for a replacement from England?

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Post by Groucho »

Whatarotty wrote:Any UK card retained in a ATM should be cut in two and returned to issuing bankers......NOT returned to cardholder, .
Only when the card has a 'hold' instruction issued for it.... Not when for whatever reason the machine swallows a card is presented by the genuine owner and they can prove that the card is theirs..

Cards are swallowed when the transaction is not complete for a variety of reasons beyond the control of the user. One thing I would say is... If the transaction does appear to be going awry, press the
'Iptal' key to end the transaction and get your card back.

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Post by kayc »

The reason for the capture of my card was "malfunction" as I was told. I was able to get it returned today, and ask what I could do to avoid a reoccurrence. They didn't have any advice other than to use the ATM right outside of the bank if I wanted to use an ATM. That way if there was a problem, it could quickly be remedied.

I'd have an absolute conniption if they cut up my card and returned it to my bank way back in the USA. !!! It's MY property and not theirs to seize. I pay a FEE to get cash from their machine, they make a little off each transaction, which is fine.

All is resolved, but after several of these experiences and lengthy inconveniences - I'm done with this bank. And at this point, I wouldn't want to be one of their "customers" and as for the ATMs.... I'll be forever weary.

Can you imagine if this happened to a tourist visiting the island? It would destroy their entire vacation!

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Post by Deniz1 »

Ive said it before and will say it again why the machine nearly always face the son I will never know even in winter Im sure they overheat and that causes some of the problems and it makes the screen very difficult to read every time I pass one there are folk peering in trying to shade it with their hands.

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Post by Groucho »

Yes the sun makes the screens so hot the touch screen can't detect your finger making choices... They really do need to rethink the installation to make them face north.

It's at this point when the touchscreen will not register choices that you need to press the cancel button.... 'iptal' as if you delay long enough without registering a key press it will swallow the card!

We now check the temperature of the screen and don't bother if it's already hot.

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Post by waddo »

Travelling east to west. Only use the ATM's on the North side of the road! ATM's are the same as all things Cyprus - it is all about "Face" and how good things look. If your ATM on the South side of the east to west road was turned around so the screen faced North then nobody could be seen using it from cars passing by "Face" nobody passing would know that YOU have money in the ATM. Strange logic but think about it awhile????
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Post by Keithcaley »

Waddo,

Greetings!

I think that I got the gist of what you were saying, except that it's the ATMs on the North side of the Road which face South and get hot, and the ones on the South side of the Road which face North...

Anyway, a Happy New Year to you and Yours!

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Post by dippersgirl »

For the last three weeks the ATM - ZIRAAT Bank has been out of order in Dipkarpaz and so I risked my TURK BANK card in the Yenierenköy Ziraat bank ATM today and after I entered my pin - guess what - it took my card, then it said please wait in Turkish on the screen and that was it - no card no money! i phoned TURK BANK and told them. The very nice lady said she will phone ZIRAAT and she did and was promised that they will tell her when they find the card. in the meantime she put a stop on the account so all is safe.
ZIRAAT BANK

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Post by waddo »

Keith,

That explains it then! I always wondered why when I moved here that nobody local had true blonde hair and did not speak Norwegian as the local language? Now it is all plain - I had my compass upside down - lol.
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Post by Kanonier »

waddo wrote:Keith,

That explains it then! I always wondered why when I moved here that nobody local had true blonde hair and did not speak Norwegian as the local language? Now it is all plain - I had my compass upside down - lol.
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Post by jofra »

Trump wants all the Norwegians, but Norwegians don't seem to want Trump.....

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Post by artic monkey »

dippersgirl wrote:For the last three weeks the ATM - ZIRAAT Bank has been out of order in Dipkarpaz and so I risked my TURK BANK card in the Yenierenköy Ziraat bank ATM today and after I entered my pin - guess what - it took my card, then it said please wait in Turkish on the screen and that was it - no card no money! i phoned TURK BANK and told them. The very nice lady said she will phone ZIRAAT and she did and was promised that they will tell her when they find the card. in the meantime she put a stop on the account so all is safe.
ZIRAAT BANK
I had the same problem as you dippersgirl.On Saturday 30/12 the Ziraat Bank ATM in Yeni Erenkoy kept my card.Three phone calls to Turkey later,i couldn`t get any local response,i was still no wiser as to what action to take.On Thursday 4/1 i called in to the Ziraat branch on the main Famagusta Road near Long Beach Iskele and lo and behold,upon production of my passport my (UK) bank card was extracted from a stack of about 6 or 7 and returned to me;great news i hear you say.Not so,my wife and i drove on down to Famagusta to do some shopping and i went to our branch of Turk Bankasi near Othello Tower to withdraw some money.A message flashed up on screen,"chip problem,contact your bank",i took my card back,examined it and discovered,and i kid you not,that the chip on the front of the card had been cleanly removed.Unfortunately as i was returning to Ireland on the Saturday i did not get the chance to call in again to ascertain why this action was taken;i will do so upon my return in March and still have the card in question to produce.
P.S.,7 days after my return to Ireland i received an e-mail from Ziraat Bank informing me that there was nothing that they could do and i should contact my bank.
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Post by dippersgirl »

Artic monkey - I AM SPEECHLESS!!
This same ATM had eaten my English card two years ago and I never got my card back at all and certainly no joy from the Iskele branch!! I had not used this machine since then, but was desperate last Monday as the Dipkarpaz ATM was defunct - never ever again.
I am going to make a written complaint to their head office!!

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Post by dippersgirl »

I WROTE TO ZIRAAT BANK WITH MY COMPLAINT AND THIS IS THE ANSWER

Dear,

Your 30.01.2018 dated notice has been received by our Bank and registered with reference number, 5555_BYS18009355. Thank you for your interest in our bank's products and services.


Regards,

T.C. ZİRAAT BANKASI A.Ş.

For more information about our banking services, please contact our Customer Communication Center 24/7 at 0850 220 00 00.

You can reply this message via "Contact" page at http://www.ziraatbank.com.tr

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Post by kayc »

well, that provides no reassurance, does it?! All the additional posts show me one thing.... THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE!

Imagine if this were to happen to a TOURIST. It would quickly ruin their entire vacation.

I will NEVER use a "remote" ATM here in Cyprus again. Either their equipment is antiquated, poorly maintained or they just have lousy customer service. ALL, IMO.

I was told to use the ATM directly outside of the bank main branch/office and that way IF my card was eaten again, they could retrieve it immediately. We'll see (I'm sure of that - it's not if, but when) what "immediate" means here.

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Post by Keithcaley »

kayc, following on from that, it would be as well to only use the machine during the Bank's normal working hours, so that there would be someone available to retrieve your card!

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Post by dippersgirl »

I SECOND THAT!

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