Customers dissatisfied with ATM quality

(Baonghean.vn) – Currently, many banks have charged ATM fees within their network, however, transaction problems still occur frequently, causing dissatisfaction among card users.

On the morning of September 24, many customers came to withdraw money at Vietcombank ATMs (Nghe An Radio and Television Station area) and expressed their dissatisfaction because all 3 machines reported problems and ran out of money. After inserting their cards into all 3 ATMs but still unable to withdraw money, Mr. Truong Quoc Minh - Hamlet 7, Hung Chinh Commune said indignantly: My company pays salaries via ATM cards, so every time I need to use money, I have to go to the ATM to withdraw. However, many times when I went to withdraw money, the machine had problems, I had to run around the city to find a withdrawal point, especially on holidays, I needed to use money but could not withdraw, had to borrow from friends, very inconvenient and time-consuming.

On the morning of September 24, all 3 ATMs of Vietcombank in Nghe An Radio and Television Station area had problems.

Sharing the same situation with Mr. Minh, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai - Hung Binh ward shared: "Going to withdraw my money, not only did I lose it, I couldn't withdraw it, but with this quality of service, how can I not be upset? We accept the withdrawal fee, so the service must be upgraded or improved."

This is not the first time ATMs have had problems. Some customers have reported that the machines are broken, have no money, swallow cards, and deduct money from accounts without dispensing it. Currently, with the interconnection of ATM systems, cardholders of one bank can make transactions at most other banks. However, ATM problems are still serious, especially during holidays and paydays, causing inconvenience to cardholders.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thang - Head of Card Payment Department, Vietcombank Vinh branch said: The cause of ATM transaction problems often comes from the bank and the cardholder, the most common is the line being congested, the ATM running out of money or not dispensing money, the PIN code being locked, the card user not knowing how to preserve it, leaving the card in the wallet causing the card to be damaged, warped, the cardholder making a mistake... Mr. Thang also admitted that on the morning of September 24, 1 ATM in the Nghe An Radio and Television Station area was damaged and could not be repaired; the remaining 2 machines were out of money and had been fixed by bank staff.

Recently, the State Bank issued Circular 36/2012/TT-NHNN on ensuring the safety of ATM operations. Accordingly, banks must develop information security policies, operating procedures, maintenance, and monitoring to ensure ATMs have enough money, and handle cardholder transaction problems within 5-7 days... However, many opinions say that the State Bank's regulations only partially solve the ATM problem. Because not all commercial banks comply with the regulations set by the State Bank. These agencies are also not strong enough to inspect and monitor each bank's ATM system.

Therefore, to solve the root cause to minimize all problems of ATM services, reduce inconvenience for cardholders, the State Bank needs to develop technology standards, require card-issuing banks to develop contingency plans. At the same time, impose sanctions on banks that do not comply with regulations on ATM systems.

Vo Huyen