This fear is definitely associated with all of us at one time or the other when we insert our card in an ATM machine. There is only one question in the mind… will the money get stuck somewhere? Exactly the same thing happened with a person from Nagpur. Cash did not come out of the machine but a message of deducting money from the account definitely came on the mobile. Generally, in such situations, people get worried and give up after making rounds of banks. But this customer did not give up. He took the direct legal route and now after a long legal battle of eight years, the bank not only had to return his entire money but also had to pay double the amount as compensation.
Long wait of 8 years for Rs 5 thousand
This entire matter is from Nagpur, Maharashtra. In August 2018, the complainant tried to withdraw Rs 5,000 from an Axis Bank ATM for his needs. The transaction process was completed, but not a single note came out of the cash dispenser. On the contrary, a message of Rs 5,000 being debited from the bank account came on the customer’s phone. This was no less than a shock for any common man. The complainant immediately contacted the bank and lodged his complaint. But the bank management did not take this matter seriously. The customer also resorted to the process of Banking Ombudsman, yet he could not get any fair hearing or relief from there.
Bank’s negligence exposed in Consumer Commission
When disappointed at the bank level and the Ombudsman, the man approached the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission of Nagpur. The bench of Commission Chairman Satish Sapre and member Milind Kedar heard the entire matter in depth. The surprising thing was that despite sending the legal notice, no representative of Axis Bank appeared before the Commission to present his side. After this, the Commission had to take unilateral action and hear the case. The Forum clearly observed that the bank was ignoring the continuous complaints received from its own customers.
Even the camera footage was not checked
During the hearing, the Commission found that the bank had shown gross negligence in this case of ATM transaction failure. No concrete evidence could be presented by the bank to prove that they had conducted a proper investigation into the matter. Even the recording of the surveillance camera (CCTV) installed in the ATM of that day was not bothered to be scrutinized. Consumer Forum termed it as a huge deficiency in service. The Commission clearly stated that when money is deducted from the account and cash is not received from the machine, it is the direct responsibility of the bank to investigate the matter with immediate effect and provide relief to its customer.
Got compensation of Rs 10 thousand
The Forum gave an important decision in favor of the customer in this case. The Commission gave strict instructions to Axis Bank to immediately return the stuck Rs 5,000 to the complainant. Along with this, an order was also issued to pay additional compensation of Rs 10,000 to the customer for the physical and mental harassment he had to face for eight years.