This takes the cake! f*****g ATM!

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My husbands paycheck comes loaded on a debit card. That's the only way this company does it. Today he got $560 or so and used the card to fill up with gas, then he bought some lunch and took out $40 to have cash in his pocket and that left about $475. When he got home I did what I do every week and took the card to the ATM to take out the rest of the cash. We use that at the store and on bills, etc. I put the card in and did the usual things, like I have for the past four months or so, every week. I asked for $300 because that is the most you can get at once, and was going to get $160 next. Well, it took a while then said "Network not available, try again later" so I tried again, thinking it was a glitch. I asked for $300 and it went through and said "Insufficient funds". I did a balance inquiry and it said I had about $175. It took the $300 off but didn't give it to me!

I went into the bank and talked to the manager. That's not their ATM and it's a new one. It's an independent ATM and they don't deal with it. He called them but there was nothing anybody could do about it. As I was leaving another guy came up and said it happened to him too. He was furious, and a redneck on top of that. If something happens to that ATM tonight, it was him. He was a redneck in one of those old 1979 black Trans Am with the gold bird on the hood (restored) and he was blasting Journey. He looks like he carries a ball bat in the car for things like this.

Anyway, I get back here and call the card people. They talk to DH and verify that it's him and he gives the phone back to me. The guy (who I can barely understand!! !! !) says he will file a dispute. These are the things that may happen.

1. The ATM will send an update at some point between now and early morning that says they didn't give me the money and it will be refunded onto the card right then.

2. The card company will refund the money within 10 days due to the dispute.

3. The card company will want to further investigate the situation and it can take up to 45 days and depending on their decision we may or may not get back our money.

We were supposed to pay the title pawn on the van tomorrow. We can't now. If they take the van, DH loses his job. I have to call them in the morning (if it's not back on by then) and charm the hell our of LaCrystal, the girl who works there. Talk her into giving me time and tell her all about the card problem. I am in no mood to charm s**t! But I have to make myself.

Now see? s**t was going better for me. Lots better. Lots and lots better! Now this s**t happens. This is why I worry so much. Because no matter what I do, I fall backasswards into a big pile of s**t.

I will post here when whatever happens with this card happens. Meanwhile, I'm wishing that somebody would actually go beat the crap out of that ATM with a ball bat. Or shoot it. Or something.

I will never trust computers with money. The government is making everyone on Social Security and SS Disability switch from paper checks to Direct Deposit and it makes me nervous as hell, because I've known people who've lost entire paychecks that way and had to go through just the sort of nightmare you're describing. When one lives literally hand-to-mouth to begin with, you have no cushion to fall back on when sh*t like that happens and it just sets off a domino chain of crap.

Hope your situation gets resolved with godspeed.

The thing is, if you don't have a bank account (and I wager that OOM's hubby doesn't, since many poor Americans can't get bank accounts, I was reading an article on this a few days ago) you have to use those stupid prepaid debit cards, and people with those damn things get screwed eight ways to Sunday. Even Social Security is giving people prepaid debit cards. For starters: if you don't have a bank, you have to use independent bumfudge ATMs like the one OOM describes, and if there's a problem it's "not my machine, no habla ingles" from the shop owner, and if you're lucky you'll be talking to somebody in India, trying to get your money back. If you're unlucky there's no recourse. And that's not mentioning all the fees that come with them. You (OOM) might see if you can get an account at a credit union, sometimes they're more lenient since they actually have to answer to the community.

Well, it's not back on there today, so #1 didn't happen. Now to wait ten days and hope that my van isn't repossessed between now and then.

We were out of the hole, and now because of this, we are right back in it worse than before. Things are due next week and the week after and can't be put off. I had it fixed to pay them. Now, through no fault of our own we can't.

I am very close to losing it again, but I'm going to just go get in the bed and try to sleep instead.

Would the $200 you can access (hubbys cash, the $175) be enough to cover the van?
Maybe ask if you can do part payment to show good faith until the problem is fixed.

No, it's $215 and they have to have the full payment. Also there was absolutely no food in the house and I had to get groceries. I couldn't even have borrowed the $50 from anybody to make the full amount because nobody we know has that to let anybody borrow and the ones who do (my mother, his mother whose money is controlled by his sister) will let us. My mother is going through one of her phases where anything that will help or please me is something that can't be done. I can't even shower over there (we have no gas so no hot water) but everybody else can - my grandfather was exactly like this to her when he got really old).

I'm waiting to see if it's going to be on there within the next (now) 8 days. I'm going back to the bank tomorrow and talking to the manager again. I'm going to be nice, and I'm going to make myself stay calm. I'm going to point out that because the ATM is in their parking lot attached to their drive through that it's an implied endorsement of it and that this is not just an inconvenience for us it's survival. I'm going to explain that the bank has the money and the access to the people who service the ATM, but we don't and that I'd like the money that the ATM removed from my card returned to me, and of course if it is put back on my card by the company, which may or may not happen, I would of course give that back to the bank. But they won't do it I know. Not enough paperwork and red tape involved. But at least I'll know I tried everything.

Anywhere you can hide the van for a few days?

I'm calling again in the morning to try and charm them into not picking it up. They don't want the vehicles, they make their money on the interest on the "loan" they give on it. Even if we get that money by next week, the interest alone will be an extra $100 almost! And if we don't get it, we have to choose between having water or having the van, because our water company cuts the water off for one month if it's not paid. They are asses and they know it but we also have no other choice but to use them.

And on top of all that, I'm sick. I'm about to post about that in another thread.

I hear that your son came into a lot of money recently....


Would be be able / willing to lend you any ?

You said, that the ATM was right before a bank, and that other customers were affected too, and went as well in the bank. So the bank is not responsible, but at least they can proof your story? Is there maybe a possibility, that you can loan that money from the bank and pay it back until the ATM functions again? Because of other people affected as well, they should know, that you are not telling them a story?