Beware of the new RAP/ATM machines

Ally Dick

I've seen a new style of ATM machines in Topaz and Centra. They're green and black in colour. I used one on Sunday morning to withdraw money. Usually if you ask for a denomination that the machine doesn't have, it will spit the card back out at you. I asked for €140. The machine whirred and made a number of noises, and then gave me back my card, saying that it couldn't complete the transaction. There was a queue, so I went on my merry way. The bloke behind me asked me was the machine ok. I warned him that it was acting funny, but he seemed to get money out himself. Now, the interesting bit. I was debited for the money that I never received. The situation rectified itself this evening when the transaction disappeared off my account. I had a feeling that this would happen. Technically the transaction was taken off the shadow database but was never confirmed by the retailer, so it disappeared.

My main gripe here is the lousy programming involved with these machines. I had the money in my account, but because I asked for denominations of note that the machine didn't have, it refused the transaction, but sent through the debit on the shadow to the branch. This is very poor indeed. RAPs and ATMs should advise the customer of the valid multiples available instead of behaving in this way. The old style of RAP before that would have !

L1011

These seem to be operated by a non bank operator- first time I've seen that in Ireland. Only had the main banks, limited use credit union ATMs and a tiny number of Raphael's Bank ones before

Delta2113

Avoid these machines like the plague - you have been warned.