Bank customers in Kwara express frustration over ATM cash dispense errors Some bank customers in Ilorin have expressed frustration over incessant cash dispense errors by Automated Teller Machines (ATM) in the town. The customers, who spoke with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Monday, condemned the high incidence of cash dispense errors from the machines.

The customers told NAN that many bank customers had lost money due to the malfunctioning of the machines which often took many days to correct. NAN observed that the machines will display messages like "Temporarily unable to dispense cash", "The issuer is not operative," and "Out of service" on many occasions.

A bank customer, Mr Dayo Tobiloba, said his account was once debited despite the fact that one of the ATMs did not dispense money to him. "I was rushing to the airport to book a ticket with an airline, so I withdrew money. When I got to the airport, I received another debit alert of N5, 000 and on my way back to the bank I received yet another N10, 000 debit alert.

"I rushed down to a branch of the bank at Taiwo Road and I was told to apply formally for the reversal which would be effected after two weeks," he said. A student, Miss Funsho Adetunji, said she tried to withdraw the sum of N20, 000 from one ATM, but the machine did not pay.

"I wanted to withdraw N20, 000 using my other bank ATM at a bank. My account was debited with the sum, but the machine did not dispense money," she said. Adetunji said the the sum of N19,000 was returned to her after a week, but N1, 000 was charged for the interbank transaction.

She said that when she complained to the security men at the Taiwo Road branch of the other bank, they told her to report at her bank with the promise that the money would be returned within 48 hours. Adetunji said that she was refunded N19, 000 after a week as they said the N1, 000 was charged for the interbank transaction.

A graphic artist, Alhaji Yusuf Gold, said the ATM at the Sawmill Area branch of an old generation bank under dispensed cash to him. "I went to the ATM at Saw Mill area to cash the sum of N25, 000, but the ATM dispensed N23, 000.

"I immediately I raised alarm and the security officer present there took me into the banking hall where I showed evidence of the transaction and the error was reversed," he said. (NAN)