ATM Did Not Give out Money

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bdablack

Member
Jun 30, 2011
133
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I have a friend who went to the ATM to withdraw money and it was not dispensed but deducted from her account.
The bank seems to be giving her the runaround, saying she had to wait 22 days now it 30 to 90 days.
What has been the experience of others who have this situation happen to them. Can this be resolved or should it be written off.
She is Dominican and cannot afford to lose RD$4,000.
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,152
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South Coast
This happened to us a few years ago to the tune of $500USD with our ATM/Debit card. We contacted our bank in NJ, who contacted Visa, and immediately - the same day - they refunded the cash to our account pending investigation by Visa. We signed a form, and about a month later got a letter that the refund was permanent.

Do not deal with the ATM bank, only with the back the ATM card is attached to.
 
H

HUG

Silver
Feb 3, 2009
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I've been through this with Banco Polular. Had to wait until the balance of the machine had been taken, even though it should have been RD5000 up they denied it and I did not get the money back. I contacted my bank in UK, they refunded the RD5,000 while under investigation, and they had to contact BP, told me to wait up to 90 days. As I did, and they came back and told me BP had reported no problems in that particular machine balance and so denied me the refund. They then took the RD5000 back from my account.
 
D

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
6,942
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No Tarjetas!

Do not use plastic money in the Dominican Republic!

Sooner or later you will know why...

donP
 
I

irishpaddy

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
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so what is the best thing to do for vacations?....travelers checks seem a thing of the past
 
H

HUG

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Feb 3, 2009
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Use your ATM card but go into the bank itself with passport. They will tell you to go use the machine, but just tell them you had issues before, they might charge you big on it though, depending where you are. I think BP charge 3%.

For me I use ATM machines, hardly had any issues over many years. Plenty drama queens about, but if you use ATMs in good places then you'll be pretty safe. 1 issue out of 000's is not a big deal to me.
 
Xavier_Onassis

Xavier_Onassis

Gold
Aug 6, 2006
8,775
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If you are packing cash, you could get mugged. There are no chances you will get your money back then.
 
bronzeallspice

bronzeallspice

Live everyday like it's your last
Mar 26, 2012
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I've never been mugged to this day and I've been going to the DR for years. Keep it
in a safe place and only take what you will need if on an outing.
 
Z

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
The issuing banks in first world countries will always give you back the money. DR bank card, DR bank, DR customer equals a long unhill road. If she keeps on coming back and makes a pain in the ass of herself showing no signs of quitting she will maybe get the money. The DR banks make lawyers look like nice guys.
 
M

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
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Banco popular always says it can take up to 90 days but normally solve it in like 4 or 5 days.

I do 99% with plastic money in DR and hardly have encountered any problems.

Only one weird issue this week. I bought a furniture in santo Domingo, took a loan for it because the store won't give a discount for cash payment and charge 0 % interest, wanted to pay the balance by Internet banking this weekend, there was 54,000 left to pay. Tried to pay it, but it gave an error that I was exceeding the limit, so I try again, but now paying 30,000. Again an error message. On Sunday afternoon I need to take out some cash and I realize there's is only 1200 pesos left of more than 80,000 I had on that account. The loan is still in the accounts for 54,000. My wife goes to the bank today and they say: you can't cancel a loan by Internet banking (another employee had told me you can and the option was there on Internet banking, it even specified the exact amount to cancel the debt). My wife asked where the money went, they said they didn't really know. How is it even possible that you can apply 84,000 to a loan that has only 54,000 left? Final result: the payments are on 'hold' and it will take up to 5 days to get the money back.

Experience with banco popular learns me they will solve it, but it doesn't inspire a lot of trust that their systems are not fool proof (besides that I don't think I'm the fool here).
 
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jstarebel

jstarebel

Silver
Oct 4, 2013
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I use my ATM all of the time. I bank with BOA in the states, and use my card ONLY at Scotia bank free from charges. there are some simple rules. First, always get a receipt. (it always asks if you want one) Click yes and save it until you confirm that the transaction is posted correctly online. Second, I always draw out the same amount 15,000 pesos. Always count the money in view of the camera at the ATM. I have always got my money, but I have been shorted before. Went directly into the bank where I withdrew the money, and filed a claim making sure to get a claim receipt. When getting back on the boat, I called BOA customer service, explained the issue, gave them the Scotia bank claim number, thanked them and hung up. The missing funds were back in my account the next day. Received an online message from BOA simply stating that they had returned the funds and said sorry for any inconvenience. That was it.

Id NEVER have an account with any of these banks, and especially with Banco Popular. Too many stories about people getting screwed, and I'm NOT paying a single dime for any bank service. I didn't living in the states, BOA services are free so why would I pay here?? Also, this day and age, why are expats using DR banks?? I don't get it, and just look at how many threads on this site have stories of people getting screwed by the banks here. Doesn't make sense to me why they continue to use them.
 
K

KateP

Silver
May 28, 2004
2,845
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Been using local debit and credit cards for over 15 years and never had a problem (probably just jinxed it). I am selective of where I use them though. Good luck with the claim.
 
P

PeteyPablo

Bronze
Apr 30, 2011
726
1
0
jstarebel said:
I use my ATM all of the time. I bank with BOA in the states, and use my card ONLY at Scotia bank free from charges. there are some simple rules. First, always get a receipt. (it always asks if you want one) Click yes and save it until you confirm that the transaction is posted correctly online. Second, I always draw out the same amount 15,000 pesos. Always count the money in view of the camera at the ATM. I have always got my money, but I have been shorted before. Went directly into the bank where I withdrew the money, and filed a claim making sure to get a claim receipt. When getting back on the boat, I called BOA customer service, explained the issue, gave them the Scotia bank claim number, thanked them and hung up. The missing funds were back in my account the next day. Received an online message from BOA simply stating that they had returned the funds and said sorry for any inconvenience. That was it.

Id NEVER have an account with any of these banks, and especially with Banco Popular. Too many stories about people getting screwed, and I'm NOT paying a single dime for any bank service. I didn't living in the states, BOA services are free so why would I pay here?? Also, this day and age, why are expats using DR banks?? I don't get it, and just look at how many threads on this site have stories of people getting screwed by the banks here. Doesn't make sense to me why they continue to use them.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, I didn't realize Scotia and BOA had an agreement for no fees. Dammit I have been getting screwed for no reason lol. BOA fees for international transactions are ludicrous.


Actually it was the BOA fees (coupled with the local ATM fees) that led me to an alternative way to get money. I use Xoom to send money all the time and their fee is only $4.99 usd. When I travel to DR I take a little spending cash. Once I'm there, using the Xoom app on my phone I send myself cash via Carib Express. It solves the issue of carrying money during the trip and the limitations for pulling out cash at a local atm.
 
H

HUG

Silver
Feb 3, 2009
3,940
1
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MerengueDutchie said:
Been using ATM while visiting for over 10 years with only one problem the infamous BHD at Cabarete about 6 years back once.

I withdraw what I need and pay local transactions in cash.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure most regulars do the same. You lose the cash and it's gone for good! Carrying much cash in DR is not a great idea, safe or no safe, it's always safer in the bank.
 
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