Strapped for cash, and blaming his bank.
A Port St. Lucie man says a Chase Bank ATM machine ate $1,450 of cash he deposited at the branch on St. Lucie West Boulevard.
Twelve days later, he says he got a refund.
But, he worries that might not have happened if he did not save his receipt.
Max Bennett is a handy man, and does not always know exactly when money will be coming in.
“I’ve been taking handyman jobs to make ends meet … every penny counts.”
July 1, he says he landed a much needed job. “A big job,” he described. “Like, the biggest job I’ve gotten in my life.”
He says his bank blew it for him.
The job paid him a deposit to secure the work.
He went to deposit $1,500 cash at drive-thru ATM at his Chase Bank.
He inserted the cash, like he says he has done dozens of times.
This time, the machine spit out $50 of the $1,500.
“I sat there for a minute or two. It made these funny noises and the little time clock [showed up],” Bennett said.
Then, he says the machine malfunctioned and kept the remaining $1,450. “It’s the worst feeling to just have the ATM steal your money like that.”
The machine gave him a receipt acknowledging the malfunction, giving him an "800" number to call.
He went inside the branch for help, and had an employee call the number with him.
Bennett says he was told first that this would be resolved in 48 hours. Then, he said the bank told him an investigation could take up to 10 business days. “That’s completely unacceptable.”
Eventually, he said the bank told him there was no indication the deposit was made.
“There was no record of a transaction having occurred and the ATM appeared to be balanced,” Bennett said. “How do you have a balanced ledger when there’s an overage that I’m 100 percent positive of.”
It took twelve days, but Bennett finally got his money back.
"I literally had 3 dollars in my bank account for the last 12 days,” Bennett said.
That ATM machine is also not taking cash deposits at the time.
“If I didn’t have that receipt they would have just told me oh you were never here and you’re out of luck buddy,” Bennett assumed.
Now, he’s left paying late fees for bills he wasn’t able to pay, and worries this may have damaged his credit.
Chase Bank recommends if an ATM machine malfunctions, you keep your receipt and report the issue immediately.
You can also make a cash deposit in person, and even in that case, ask for a receipt.
