Show me the money

Last Sunday I went to the cash point to withdraw 120 euro out. I could hear the machine whirring away, trying to throw some money out, but nothing actually came out except for the receipt to say I’d withdrawn 120 notes.

Wishfully thinking maybe it wouldn’t be debited as the bank had not actually given me any money, but the next day I checked and the 120 had come off. AARRGGGHHH!!!

So off to the bank I went. I should add that the bank I withdrew from is not my bank. It took me 5 mins to actually get in the bank with all the stepping in and out of the doors which close you in the middle just in case you’ve got "bank robber" wrote on your forehead. I hoped it was going to be all straight forward: They’d see that their bancomat was up 120 and maybe even others had been in to complain and they'd hand the money over. Not so simple. The banker tapped away into his computer for 5 mins whilst talking to someone else (about something else) on the phone then told through the thickest glass window I've ever seen that the bancomat isn’t managed by the bank and that banomat man makes an appearance on Thursdays. So I had to write bancomat man a letter and they would phone on Thursday with the outcome. He didn’t ring so I called on Friday and miracle of miracles they admitted their mistake, apologised and said they will credit my account (in ten days)!

Lessons learnt:
1. Don’t use the banomat on a Sunday because there’s almost always some kind of problem – ie empty etc.
2. Use a bancomat near to home so that when you have to go backwards and forwards to sort the problem it doesn’t take up your time.
3. Have faith in Italian customer service (to be confirmed when the money actually goes into my account).