Been given 20 euros instead of £20 from ATM?

Whappers · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:08

I was coming back from a night out last night in Belfast - I wasn't that drunk

(as you do

) and decided to get some cash out from the ATM. I was a bit peeved that the miniumum withdrawl was 20 and just decided to get it. The end result is 20 euros and not £20. I was a bit confused as to why this had happened because the ATM didn't say anywhere that it dispensed euros (I think some do and are useful for holiday makers going abroad).

I got wondering and began to think - I wonder if it's going to charge me for £20 and the whole reason why this had happened was because someone hadn't noticed that one of them was a euro and just put it into the ATM without double checking. Now if I do get charged £20 for my 20 euros that will mean that I've been midnight robbed of approximately £6 as £20 is not equivalent to 20 euros. I'm just waiting for the transaction to go through on my online banking statement before I take further action. Has this ever happened to anyone before?

Thanks.

Whappers.

JohnnyG · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:13

I think NI have some dual currency ATM's so it was probably one of those & you chose Euro by mistake

matthew_o50 · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:14

What cash machine was that if you don't mind me asking (so I can avoid it

)?

I'd contact your bank and tell them what has happened, you mightn't be the first to get euros from that machine and I think the machines keep records of all the notes i.e. their numbers.

PinkPig · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:14

Of course you won't be charged £20 - unless there's some sort of odd mistake with the filling of the machine, which seems enormously unlikely. If it's a machine that's supposed to give out Euros, it will take €20, and charge you as per the normal conversion rate in your account. If you normally get charged a percentage for overseas transactions then the amount taken will include that charge and might be higher than you expected - it certainly won't be £20. If you do get charged £20 then it is without doubt a rather highly unusual mistake.

AJUK · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:15

We have rejected the Euro but they don't like it so they have started to sneak it in without telling us, hoping we wouldn't notice.

Whappers · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:17

matthew_o50 said:
What cash machine was that if you don't mind me asking (so I can avoid it )?

I'd contact your bank and tell them what has happened, you mightn't be the first to get euros from that machine and I think the machines keep records of all the notes i.e. their numbers.

I don't want to take those steps quite just yet. At least not before I am completely sure that I have indeed been charged £20 for 20 euros. I'm just waiting for the online banking transaction to get processed which could be a couple of days :rolleyes:

It's the First Trust ATM down by HMV on chichester street (opposite the city hall).

Whappers

Whappers · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:20

PinkPig said:
Of course you won't be charged £20 - unless there's some sort of odd mistake with the filling of the machine, which seems enormously unlikely. If it's a machine that's supposed to give out Euros, it will take €20, and charge you as per the normal conversion rate in your account. If you normally get charged a percentage for overseas transactions then the amount taken will include that charge and might be higher than you expected - it certainly won't be £20. If you do get charged £20 then it is without doubt a rather highly unusual mistake.

Yeah, but I even went back to the ATM after I had received the 20 euros just to see it stated anywhere that it dispensed euro and no markings were to be found. Even still when it asked me how much I wanted to withdraw I'm pretty sure it had "£" beside all of the values. Anyway, I' just going to have to wait and see what the bank charges me.

cyborg · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:22

If i remember right there is two outlets where your talking about, and its not clearly marked, although it is marked. You see i remember feeling like such an idiot when i did i. Large que for the first ATM, one right beside it was empty and was still working. Thought to myself happy days. Got the money realised it was euros and pretended i meant to get euros. Very very embarrassed me. The thing was at the time, the softward on the ATM still said pounds, with the £ sign beside the number. I seen the sign above the ATM when walking away. You wouldn't see it if it were dark.

EDIT: There is markings, its above the ATM machine name itself, on a strip. Unless some funny git nicked it.

Whappers · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:28

cyborg said:
If i remember right there is two outlets where your talking about, and its not clearly marked, although it is marked. You see i remember feeling like such an idiot when i did i. Large que for the first ATM, one right beside it was empty and was still working. Thought to myself happy days. Got the money realised it was euros and pretended i meant to get euros. Very very embarrassed me. The thing was at the time, the softward on the ATM still said pounds, with the £ sign beside the number. I seen the sign above the ATM when walking away. You wouldn't see it if it were dark.

Ok, silly me has probably gone to the wrong ATM by the sounds of it

I think it's kind of silly that the software would still display £ signs and not the sign for euros. As I say, I didn't see any markings at all, but as you say, you wouldn't see it if it was dark and it was approximately 1.45a.m. by this stage

I'll have another look at the ATM in question on Monday whenever I am in town and see how visible this sign is exactly.

Thanks.

Whappers

cyborg · 25 Jun 2006 at 10:31

Well i never seen it in the bright day time untill after i used the machine and feeling like an idiot to all the people in the que who seen me take the euros out. Especially since i thought i was oh so smart using the other machine.

I thought they would have changed the pound signs to euro by now though! I done this back in november!

Tachyon · 25 Jun 2006 at 11:18

Didn't know there were any machines that dispensed Euros in Belfast either, I'm sure the's been plenty of folks caught out by it. Don't see any point in it, not like you really need them anyway.

me227 · 25 Jun 2006 at 12:04

Whappers said:
I don't want to take those steps quite just yet. At least not before I am completely sure that I have indeed been charged £20 for 20 euros. I'm just waiting for the online banking transaction to get processed which could be a couple of days

It's the First Trust ATM down by HMV on chichester street (opposite the city hall).

Whappers

I work for the First Trust, the Donegal Sq North branch that you went to, has a Euro ATM. The one on the right out of the two ATMs.

You won't be charged £20, just the €20 equivalent. There would have been a small blue sign above the ATM saying it was a euro one.

Whappers · 25 Jun 2006 at 12:43

me227 said:
I work for the First Trust, the Donegal Sq North branch that you went to, has a Euro ATM. The one on the right out of the two ATMs.

You won't be charged £20, just the €20 equivalent. There would have been a small blue sign above the ATM saying it was a euro one.

Thanks me227.

I didn't see the sign at all. I was a little tipsy but not drunk. I'm surprised I didn't see it despite even going back to it a few seconds later to figure out why I had been given the 20 euros. I think it's a little silly having a euro machine when it's not the main currency. I can see the positives for it but I would say that because it has caught quite a few people out before that it has probably done more bad than good. Any idea when the symbols within the ATM are getting changed from £ to the euro sign?

Thanks.

Whappers

me227 · 25 Jun 2006 at 16:34

Whappers said:
Thanks me227.

Any idea when the symbols within the ATM are getting changed from £ to the euro sign?

Thanks.

Whappers

No time soon.

I think it's pointless having them in town as well. They have them at the Europa and Central station and probably at the airport, that makes sense. But not in the middle of town, especially in such a busy area where two ATM's would be handy.

Whappers · 25 Jun 2006 at 17:45

me227 said:
No time soon.

I think it's pointless having them in town as well. They have them at the Europa and Central station and probably at the airport, that makes sense. But not in the middle of town, especially in such a busy area where two ATM's would be handy.

You should ask your boss why there is a ATM that dispenses euros there when it would be so much better if they just had two which actually dispensed the currency of the country. It just sounds so stupid to me. I agree, airports yes, train stations yes, but not the centre of town for goodness sake. :rolleyes:

Thanks.

Whappers