Account debited but cash not dispensed at ATMs? Complaints rise

This has been highlighted in the RBI Banking Ombudsman Scheme Report 2019.
Account debited but cash not dispensed at ATMs? Complaints rise
Account debited but cash not dispensed at ATMs? Complaints rise
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A large number of complaints are being received at the banking ombudsman’s end where the customers are saying their account gets debited but the cash is not dispensed at the ATMs. This has been highlighted in the RBI Banking Ombudsman Scheme Report 2019.

The report by the banking ombudsman is classified into various heads to understand the type of issues being faced by the customers while operating their bank accounts.

The report lists the complaints received by the banking ombudsman for the year 2018-19. At the macro level, the second largest number of complaints are related to the ATM /Debit Cards. These stood at 36,539 in 2018-19 compared to 24,672 in the previous year 2017-18. This is an increase of 11,500 or 18.65%.

What has caused consternation at the regulator’s end is that of these ATM /Debit Card related complaints, as much as 53% of them say ‘Account debited but cash not dispensed by ATMs’. This speaks a lot about the way the ATMs are managed by the banks.

Most banks have outsourced the task of managing the ATM terminals. The officers at the branch level or even at the regional office levels, may have very little info on these and will express their helplessness even if the customers were to approach them. The RBI Banking Ombudsman Scheme Report 2019 should spur the regulator into action and push the banks to take some remedial action so that the customers are not put through so much hardship.

With a view to further strengthen the redressal mechanism for the benefit of customers, the central bank has planned a slew of measures in 2019-20 including:

– review of Internal Ombudsman Scheme, 2018 for extension to NBFCs;

– review of the Ombudsman Schemes for updation and effective implementation including through convergence;

– introducing Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) in CMS for online support to the customers.

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