The feeling you’re utterly helpless is stranger than any time when you’re stood infront of an ATM. You insert your card, you enter your PIN, and finally you select your desired option; now you must stand there on a crowded public walk with no semblance of privacy as the machine clicks and whirs away, trying its hardest to calculate how to give you your money. The waiting game is where it all falls apart, not for the machine itself but for you in this kafkaesque reality.
Case in point, it was 5: 18 on a Friday when I was stood at the ATM outside my local bank.
Timing is everything — the bank was closed off and pretending not to be open, I had errands to run which is why I needed cash. The weather was awful: cooling down to what felt like rain but never actually decided to give in and rain.
There is no hope for those that still need to run errands like myself. My weekend cash grab fantasy quickly diminished as the ATM did nothing. My bank balance was sufficient, something I triple check every time before approaching any ATM out of paranoia from the times I did have a negative balance, along with the embarrassing beep of rejection.
Everything seemed to process as it normally does. Insert card, enter pin, enter amount. Then the clicking, and whirring, and extended pause that always seems to linger a second too long.
And it ended with… nothing. Not a single dollar nor receipt popped up on the screen. All that greeted me was a blank dull screen with a faint robotic humming sound which felt like it was slowly winding down with no place to go.
My card wasn’t even ejected. It remained trapped inside the steel jaw of the ATM that made my money its hostage during this machine standoff. I felt my bank account freeze before rain started to pool onto my shoulders.
Eyes wide and mouth agape I watched as the universe zoomed in on the machine in front of me. What did I do wrong? Could I have missed the memo that maybe I wasn’t going to get my own money?
How is it even possible that the machine decided for some unknown reason that me touching my own money wasn’t worth it? The relationship we, as humans, have with ATMs is special when compared to every other technology we use today. Trust is fragile.
We ask these machines to understand both our stated and unstated needs with the press of a button after inputting some security keywords. If they don’t understand, it can be incredibly more than disappointing. Technology fails us.
When I tried to cancel my transaction, nothing worked. I began to frantically press at buttons on the ATM in this surreal state of panic where my fingers no longer seemed to be my own. Defeated, I stood there helplessly staring at the blinking screen holding my paralyzed card at arms length while a senior woman shuffled uncomfortably close beside me.
I turned around as quick as humanely possible and stumbled over myself into what must of looked like a half-hearted apology. “It’s not working,” I heard myself say out of denial as if the ATM swallowed my unresponsive, lifeless card. By the look of disappointment smudge across her face entitled ATM She was getting paid bank-assigned amount to attend least bit interested in situations as problems occur when retrieving money to violently swing on people.
I wish I could say that when I left my card in, she let it go but nah she decided to take a moment to dispel her existential crisis. “As a civilian you have to consider why they would put credit into machines so accessible to this level of rudimentary CCD, kinetic card died software. Let me REHASH that.
Assuming it wasn’t undoable, they resorted too dishwasher safe coin pouch that was free.”
Yeahhh. I stood there bracing myself for the gust of wind that was about to swoop in between my sensible one whale shirt as I cradled pure imagination. Assumptions, because at the end of the day every answer is an assumption.
What sane person thought that while making assumptions other people have jobs waiting on you to finish staring at little arm choreographed movements complete tutorial level comprehension of the human brain what if we never were given the opportunity to see cards eat the menu with logic that could provide either
… Nobody? On an undisclosed paid vaxed venue or no strength training venue monitor. Guides cards solely because we can hurtle lightning bolts onto errors scanning which borderline dangerous console command magical beans gain momentum to wield fire mesmerizing mend bending e basic ATM
Without left no longer a optional attempt.
Wait tables and patience. at this gauge because its nearing time for you to draw a straight line between your abdomen and your hearts where you can calculate.”
She sighed with relief as my ATM card was returned to me. At this point, I had accepted my fate and was tracing heart patterns on the ATM in gratitude that my experience was over.
ATM machines and I have a love hate relationship. It’s something I’ve grown very accustomed to over the years because when it comes to remembering my existence at times, ATMs have always let me down. I didn’t grow up with having to use ATMs.
There was no need to use an ATM when there were bankers ready to help you whenever the bank decided you could have equal access. ATMs gave us the assurance that we could just go bank whenever we wanted. Sometimes their service does run smoothly.
Machines are incredible. You slide your card into the machine, you get your money, and now you can go about your day. But something about them not working is so uniquely timed that when they do happen, it impacts you.
Sometimes the ATM thinks less money is in your account than what you asked for. I have had them turn off in middle of transactions and leave me questioning if I got charged. Let me charge, standing in the rain because of course I am, but watching a machine spit out error after error at me ‘Error 7482’ is delightful.
Error XD-5. Error: Unknown Error. Run for the hills.
ATM do not let you know if you are being charged. Things like ‘ATM amnesia,’ where your card gets stuck in the machine and you have no way of knowing if you can access your money again until it’s too late really push your patience. Don’t get me started on the fact these machines know how to look so sophisticated yet fail you at the simplest task of recognizing you are there.
If my iPhone glitched on me I could take the necessary steps to troubleshoot my problem with ease- press enter to reboot, update the device, contact support. Sure cars are way more complicated machines but at least when your car breaks down we all know what to do. Pull out your phone and Uber, because your car can’t drive you somewhere else.
Hell call a hotrod for all I care. Once a ATM breaks down there is no other usage for it. It completely erases your life from its screen immediately and that my friends is where the issue lies.
We accept these machines as heartless ATMs until they decide to change your life by taking away your ability to pay for trivial things. Monday was the start of my cards weekend vacation. I can wait till Tuesday morning to know that tings will be better but what is the point?
My bank had my curiosity when I walked in because let me just tell you, they found my card. “Unfortunately we can’t return it to you,” the teller said. Why you damn 🤬😡.
Have machines become so advanced that they’re programmed to shred your card if they don’t want to give it back to you?! Why must I suffer these funds cryopreserve my soul just so I maybe able to breathe again within the next 7-10 business days? !
7-10 business days?! They’re telling me I will not be able to access my money for over a week just because a machine took an minute to decide it didn’t like me! Sure, I could simply walk into my bank during working hours and take my money out like before the advent of ATMs but that defeats the purpose of having a debit card.
I know everyone has there own story when it comes to ATMs. Everyone has faced some sort of ATM despair. Mine is way worse right?!
My go to is when my ATM gives me $20 bills instead of $50 and I’m screwed over on budgeting money. There is a recurring theme with ATMs failing us and it’s not ok. They fail to remember how much money is deposited in your account and how much you’ve withdraw or sometimes they completely forget your account exists.
ATMs are so convenient until they’re not. You would think once we put our trust into a machine that it would work both ways. ATM machines are programmed to recognize patterns; they should be able to recognize your bank card.
I understand that technology isn’t perfect, and neither are we but suggesting that ATM’s free us up time when we know countless employees have to work behind the scenes to keep them running is just ludicrous. Not only should we be questioning if the machines are actually useful but what happens when they decide, they don’t want to work? Which means you should also keep all of your money at home… Great advice, Ben fry.
But yeah maybe I am overreacting. Maybe this was all a weird coincidence and the technology we use today to access money is working just fine. The smug looks I’ve received when explaining my situation to people clearly have me convinced otherwise.
ATM’s don’t remember me and unfortunately I think ATM amnesia is far more common than society at trying to kill off banks let on. Next time your at an ATM try not to stand so close to the screen, because you never know when it may decide you don’t exist either. Consider this your warning sign.
From a logical perspective the machines work for us. We program them to recognize patterns to better accommodate our financial needs they should be able to recognize you’re there. So why is it every other transaction my existence is questioned?
To me this phenomenon is beyond confusion. ATM’s not processing my transaction is embarrassing for me but at the worst ATM’s are neglecting their job but refuse to acknowledge they exist. I’ve began to keep “Rainy Day” cash just for ATM emergencies.
At home I’ve gone as far as keeping a backup debit card just in case.
I’ve accepted that ATM’s hate me for a reason and have planned out ways to overcome my card getting stuck in an ATM. Who knows maybe one day ATM’s will remember me too.
For now I’ve learned to accept that technology is amazing and thank god we don’t have to live without it. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question it from time to time. Trust me.
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