Commercial banks that fail to ensure smooth and stable operation of their automatic teller machine (ATM) systems during the coming lunar new year holiday will be fined, announced the central bank. The bank said it would increase supervision and throw the book on any commercial banks which let faulty ATMs or lack of money.
However, many Hanoian people were unable to get cash from ATMs on February 4 and 5 due to faulty machines. For instance, people queued in front of two ATM booths of BIDV and Vietcombank in Nguyen Trac Street in Hanoi’s Ha Dong District but they were disappointed because they couldn't get their cash. They had no choice but to go to another machine after trying to conduct transactions.
Nearby, the screen of Vietcombank's ATM was black after a customer inserted the card but waited for a while but could not perform any operations yesterday afternoon. Some people repeated it many times but the machine didn’t work.
Within 15-20 minutes, 5-6 people came to withdraw money but were unable to withdraw money. Many people couldn't wait any longer and they were forced to turn around and look for other ATMs.
Some people said that every time they put their card in, the machine failed to work. They complained that they were busy at the end of the year and needed cash for shopping and transactions but the ATMs near their house were broken, so they had to find another place to get money.
This morning, a reporter from SGGP Newspaper continued to withdraw money at the ATM of BIDV Quang Trung branch in Quang Trung Street in Hai Ba Trung District. This is a large bank in the center of Hanoi with two ATMs. But one of the two machines was broken, a technician was checking and repairing it. The other machine still worked, but after customers inserted their ATM cards, selected the language, and entered the password, the machine screen showed transaction in progress, please wait.
A staff of the bank asked customers to go directly to the transaction counter to withdraw cash admitting that demand for cash peaks in the run-up to Tet, especially at ATMs in crowded, putting bank personnel under considerable pressure to meet customer needs.
The staff of this branch asked customers to go directly to the transaction counter to withdraw cash and explained that because at the end of the year, too many people made withdrawal orders, the machine server at the bank could not process it in time leading to fault.
Statistically, the proportion of consumers who do not use cash has increased significantly compared to before. However, many people said that they still need to have a little cash for shopping especially those who are not used to transacting via bank transfer, so they have to withdraw cash at ATM booths.
