In Couvin, what was supposed to be a simple deposit of money turned into a long, frustrating wait for Francis Bernaerdt, a 69-year-old retiree. He contacted us via the orange Alert Us button to tell us his story.
On Saturday June 29, around 6 p.m., Mr. Bernaerdt tried to deposit 800 euros into a recently installed Bancontact cash point. However, to Francis’ great dismay, the machine swallows his notes, without crediting his bank account. However, he received an error ticket, leaving the sixty-year-old without his funds for almost three weeks.
The ticket issued by the machine states: “An unexpected error has occurred. We will look into this issue with your bank. This may take several business days. The amount found will then be transferred to your account as soon as possible“However, twelve business days later, Mr. Bernaerdt had still not received the money in his account.”This is unacceptable, things like this. These are companies that are in the business of transferring people’s money, and they make mistakes. This must be corrected immediately!“
We need our money
“It’s been 18 days, 19 days“, declares the retiree, visibly annoyed during our interview. “I sent mail, I called, they answered, but nothing is happening. For them, it’s normal, but we people need our money! I’m not rich, I have payments to make.“
The retiree, who still works as an independent salesman, explains that he had to use the money to pay bills. “So far it’s still good, but if I wait any longer I’m going to have big problems. I have an invoice from a supplier, I still have a few days before paying, but I like to pay on time. There, I can’t do anything there.“Mr Bernaerdt does not hide his dismay at this situation:”I am angry because these people are taking advantage of our money. They certainly have the money in their bank and it earns them interest, this is not normal.“
Whose fault is it?
Contacted on this subject, the spokesperson for Batopin, the company created by four major Belgian banks to manage their network of ATMs, explains: “We provide the pure service part. That is to say, we are here for the question of machines. From a legislative and security point of view, and in terms of GDPR, we do not have access to the cassettes containing the money nor to the details of the person depositing the money, we are not a bank“, specifies Erik Lenoir.
He adds that problems with deposits often stem from customer mishandling: “It could be a folded or torn note in the bundle that is blocking the machine, all the machines are super secure. It could be a note that is detected as a counterfeit note“. He also clarifies that the error message never details the specific problem for security reasons. The Batopin spokesperson emphasizes that this type of incident is rare: “I’ve been here since January and this is the first time I’ve had this situation. Swallowed cards, yes, but this type of problem, no“.
Close examination
When an incident like this occurs, a complex process takes place, involving several actors. “There is an alert signal being sent“, develops Erik Lenoir. The cash conveyors, during their regular rounds to empty and fill the dispensers, are informed of the machines presenting anomalies. They then pay particular attention to the cassettes concerned. “It is during the emptying of the dispensers where they come to fill the empty cassettes and empty the deposit cassettes which are full, that we will be able to check what is happening“, specifies Mr. Lenoir.
The specific cassette linked to the detected problem is isolated and subjected to careful examination. Funds are counted and compared to recorded transactions. This process, which involves strict security measures and several stakeholders, partly explains the resolution times. Batopin’s spokesperson adds: “Twenty days is a long time for the person waiting, but given the different stakeholders… These are deadlines that seem reasonable in terms of processing time.“
We sincerely regret
On the side of CBC, Mr. Bernaerdt’s bank, we deplore the time taken to resolve Francis’ problem: “If a customer encounters this type of problem, they must report it directly to us. For our part, we then contact Batopin to analyze the problem and take the necessary action.“, indicates Gwendoline Hendrick. She adds: “In general, it still takes a week to resolve this type of problem. The steps have been taken in the meantime and our client has been credited with the amount in question. We sincerely regret that it took so long to resolve this issue.“.
Fortunately for Francis, this hole of €800 in his finances ultimately did not cause him any solvency problems. He was able to pay his suppliers on time. For other people in the same situation, it seems that after notifying your bank, you have nothing better to do than be patient.
couvin Namur bank batopin cbc money cash bancontact
Related News :