Complaint Review: Cardtronics

 I went to use a Cardtronics ATM because it is an Allpoint ATM and I may withdrawal without a fee. This was my first time using this type of ATM machine.

I had the machine print my balance on a receipt, which was a bit over $1000, then proceeded to attempt to withdrawal $400. The ATM seemed to be processing the transaction, then suddenly a message indicating the machine was logging off and shutting down came across the screen. 

Of course I spoke to the cashier (ATM is in a CVS location in La Mesa, CA) working in the store and she told me she has never heard of this happening before and that is very odd. I told her I will wait for the machine to reboot to confirm my money is not spit out at that point and she agreed that I should wait. 

She let me know someone had been out to service the machine just 20 minutes before I walked in, installing a chip reader or something like that. She also suggested I call the customer service number on the front of the machine while I wait and if it does not release my money when it reboots she will also call and see if the service guy can return.

I called the number,  followed the prompts, and the automated message said i must contact my bank to dispute the transaction. So i continued to wait as the machine took a while to reboot and called my bank, informing them of what had happened and filing a dispute. my bank said i will see the funds back in my account in 4-5 business days. which is annoying but i guess it could be worse. 

I left the store and called the number for Cardtronics back, hoping to speak with a representative this time around to confirm this is really all i can do. I was able to speak with someone and she asked for the last 4 digits of the card i used. she also asked if i received a receipt - i told her i did not because the machine cut off right after i selected the withdrawal option but i do have the receipt for the balance inquiry. she goes on to put me on hold a couple of times saying she does not see the transaction and it takes 7-15 minutes to appear. it had been about 30 minutes since the transaction so i told her it should appear by now.

she puts me on hold again then says she does not see the transaction and i must contact my bank to get my money back. i let her know i have done that already and ask if they happen to keep track of when machines are serviced. she says yes that is what they do, blah blah. i ask if she sees a note for the machine having been serviced today, since the cashier in cvs told me it had just been serviced 20 minutes before i got there. she says she does not see anything about the machine being serviced and begins to get an attitude.

i understand broke call center customer service representatives can be quite defensive, but her change of tone was incredibly disrespectful for no reason. i was just trying to inform her that the machine may have been tampered with since there was no note of service being done in their system. she acted as if she just lost $400 instead of me. we hung up, i called back to get the number for corporate. i believe i was speaking to the same female, she said they are the corporate office, i said i have a complaint and she hung up on me. 

long story short this company has major issues and i would not recommend using their machines because according to all these reviews, you are very likely to lose some money until your bank's dispute goes through. and their miserable call center representatives will get an attitude with you even when you are being polite because you once knew how it felt to have a weak job like theirs.