I write this not to bash a company for an individual incident, but rather to shed light upon a policy that not only do many millions not know about, but also that all of the friends and relatives that I have who work for Citibank do not know about.  I also am curious if this is legal or standard policy among all other banks, as I have not yet decided if I am going to continue the 20+ year relationship that I have had with Citibank (my wife for over 30 years).

Attempting to be brief, my family and I landed at the Orlando airport early last February, took a cab to our hotel, stopped at a local gas station/convenience store to get some supplies and cash.  I attempted to take $400 from the ATM and instead, got a $20 bill.  Only slightly panicked since I figureed this was the modern era and how could I lose my money through our banking system, I spoke to the clerk.  She routinely gave me the number of the store owner.  I walked 3 doors down to a bar and took out $200, went on to the hotel and called it a night.  The next day I called the gas station and they gave me the owners cell phone number, but I couldn't get ahold of him.

Covering my bases, I called Citibank (by whom I have I always been treated well).  I explained the situation and they offered me a provisional credit and said that they would investigate it.  I gave them the phone number of the store owner.  I called the owner for a couple of days, but did not hear back from him and was not worried as I thought Citibank had me covered.  On the way back to the airport, the guy finally called and said that I could stop back in and get my money.  I told him that I couldn't get back there and that Citibank had said they would handle it.

That was the last I heard about it for several months, until Citibank contacted me and said that my claim had been denied.  I called and was told that they had contacted the bank and the bank reported no discrepanices and that the case was closed.  That's when I went ballistic.  I asked if they (or the local bank) had contacted the store owner and they said no, they generally don't do that.  I gave them the store owner's information again and they said the would re-open the investigation.

A couple of months later, I get another message saying that the claim was denied, the case was closed and that they were deducting the proivisional credit from my account.  I was told by my friends at Citibank to go into my branch and be adamant about the situation which I did.  The poor branch manager got some upper levels on the phone (trying to avoid an incident in the branch), and I had it out with them right there on the phone in the branch.  This time they informed me that they did reach out to the store owner who also reported no discrepancies and that there was nothing more they could do.  Livid I told the supervisor on the phone that I wanted to speak with his boss and left.

Leaving the bank furious and having the feeling that I had been robbed, I decided I had nothing to lose and called the store owner's cell phone, prepared to threaten him with all sorts of legalities and public exposure.  I left a message.  He called me back before I got back to my office, stating in an extremely polite fashion that yes he remembered me, that he had my money put aside for the longest time and that there had been other problems with the ATM that day.  He also stated clearly that absolutely nobody from any bank had ever contacted him.  He said he would never take money that didn't belong to him and that he would send me a check if I sent him my home address and bank statement showing the money deducted and provisional credit removed.  I appreciated the man's honesty (I hoped) and wanted my money back.  I felt equally stunned, livid and vidicated.

The supervisor's supervisor called me back and before I expanded upon the recent developments, he (with overwhelming understanding and sympathy) stated that he looked at my case and it didn't seem to be one of the thousands and thousands of fraud cases they get everyday.  He told me that ATM's have impeccable tracking records and always can tell when there are mistakes and exactly how much.  After I compounded the story with my findings and indicated that I would be much more comfortable if my bank took care of this rather than me sending some guy in Florida (who's last name I still do not know) my redacted bank statements and home address.  He asked me to give him a day or two.

Less than 48 hours later, he called me back.  With a tone that was part defeated, part mechanical, he informed me that the ATM was not Citibank's, so their policy is that all they can do is contact the local bank and if the local back reports no discrepancy, the case is closed.

Again I was stunned, but the anger was tempered by the possibility of getting my money back anyway.  I blacked out any unnecessary information, sent my back records, my address and waited for a check.  I received the check last week and it cleared.  I thanked the gentleman for his honesty.

My guess is that the vast majority of Citibank customers believe that when they go to an ATM that is not owned by Citibank, that they are still protected.  I truly would love to find out from someone who knows if this policy is legal, if all banks have the same policy and if there are any protections for consumers who use ATMs.  I find it hard to believe that in the country, in this day and age, that if someone goes to an ATM and a mistake is made, that the consumer must rely upon the honesty of the owner of the ATM in order to get his/her money back.  All that guy had to do is say that he didn't remember me and that he couldn't send me money back 4 months after the fact.

I imagine there are many would like to know this information as well as myself.  Are we protected?!?