Congressional hopeful Brad Ashford forgets $100 at the ATM and then, because he is a lawyer, bullies the bank into reimbursing his negligence. This sounds to me like the stuff Congress is made of! -- Charles A Petterson, Omaha (Public Pulse response to OWH article) Read on... Forget Cash At the ATM ? Omaha World-Herald (NE) - Sunday, May 21, 1995 By Mike Kelly Youve heard stories of intelligent people who are absent - minded. They drive to the airport, park in the five - minute zone, check their baggage at the counter - and fly to Miami, where they suddenly remember that they forgot to park the car. That has happened in Omaha. Brad Ashford of Omaha never has pulled that one, but he acknowledges that hes absent - minded. When he served as a state senator, his coat hanging over the back of his chair at the end of the day didnt necessarily mean he was still at the Capitol. He also has driven out of a gas station, forgetting to pay until someone called. A couple of weeks ago, Ashford drove to an automatic teller machine at 72nd and Shirley Streets. He inserted his card, punched in his personal identification number and ordered up $100. Whereupon, he said, he pulled out his card and drove off, thinking of something else - and not thinking of his cash. By the time he realized he didnt have the money and returned to the ATM , he said, his 100 bucks were gone. Ashford informed the financial institution and was told that officials would look into it. Would the machines videotape prove that he left the money? Would it show that someone else picked it up? An attorney, Ashford admitted his mistake. But he said the incident raises some questions: For example, as the machine spits out the money, whose cash is it before the customer picks it up - the banks or the customers? Its intriguing to me, Ashford said. As we get further into the machine age, with fewer and fewer face - to - face transactions, where does the responsibility lie when a mistake is made like this one? Its part of the whole process of figuring how to deal with life - by - machine. Not Angry Over the past 15 years or so, ATMs have become one of the great conveniences of modern life. No longer do we have to wait until the bank opens if we need fast cash. Although robberies at ATMs are said to be rare, I always check to make sure no one is lurking in the shadows. Dont you? I can be forgetful, too, but so far I havent forgotten any cash. The ATM in Ashfords case belonged to Commercial Federal Savings and Loan, whose security representative politely told him at first that the company probably wouldnt reimburse him. I said I wasnt certain I agreed in the abstract that Commercial had no responsibility once the money pops out of the machine, Ashford said. But I wasnt angry at Commercial. Their people have been extremely cooperative. Stan Blakey, spokesman for Commercial Federal, said investigators looked at the videotape of the transaction. Our security people looked at the tape several times, Blakey said. Its inconclusive whether money was left. But we want to take Mr. Ashford at his word. Hes an important customer, as all customers are. At the end of last week, with no proof that anyone else took the money, either, Commercial Federal told Ashford that it would reimburse him the $100. It was a gesture of good will, not an admission of responsibility. Blakey said the savings and loan is setting no precedent, adding: Were not in the habit of giving money away. Better Measures Ann Aertz, ATM operations manager for FirsTier Bank, said the newer automatic teller machines include advanced security measures. For example, some ATMs require the customer to tug at the cash. If it isnt taken after a short time passes, the machine sucks the money back in. When the bank tries to reconcile the money in the machine and the days transactions, the total wont balance and the customer can be credited. At some machines, you have to push open a vacuum - sealed door to get your cash. If no one does so in a certain time limit, Ms. Aertz said, the ATM shuts down until it can be serviced. Meanwhile, no one can make a withdrawal. She said cases like Ashfords arent so unusual. It happens all the time, she said. People are a little more absent - minded than we might believe. If you take your cash but leave your card, it cant be used unless the person who finds it also knows your four - digit identification number. Ms. Aertz said that on top of all the technical security measures, theres another backstop - people who call the bank if they find money or a card. There are lots of honest people, she said. Ashford said he appreciates getting the $100, but still is nagged by questions that he says are unresolved. Im just wondering, he said, what the limits of responsibility to the consumer really are in a case like this.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 04:03:04 +0000
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