Insufficient funds : People frustrated as ATMs run dry ahead of Eid

Residents complain that funds were deducted from their accounts but received no cash from machines

ISLAMABAD: As people geared up to celebrate Eidul Fitr, many consumers in the twin cities were left fuming at automated teller machines (ATMs) which all have just one message for them: “insufficient funds”. People thronged ATMs to withdraw cash ahead of Eidul Fitr to pay for Eid related shopping and other expenses.

As a result, most ATMs have run out of cash. It has seen a corresponding increase in the number of complaints of incomplete transactions at ATMs where money was being deducted from consumers’ accounts but with the machines not supplying them with any cash. And with banks closing down for an extended weekend, their woes were exacerbated.



Such customers, who fail to get cash from ATMs despite a transaction being recorded, they often end up running from pillar to post in a bid to recover their money with banks only being able to help once regular operations resume after Eid. Ejaz Ahmed, who fell victim to the technical glitch, said he had visited various banks near the Super Market in Islamabad on Friday.

However, it seemed that his luck was down since he was unable to withdraw any money despite visiting quite a few ATMs of various banks in the area. “I tried almost eight to nine different banks, but failed to get any cash as all the ATMs were showing different signs which said ‘invalid account, link down, or transaction is not possible’,” he said, adding that despite not receiving any money, Rs 25,000 amount was debited from his account.

“When I approached my bank branch and spoke to a member of the staff, I was assured that the money would be credited back to my account on the next working day, but the next working day will come after Eid,” said Ahmed. He added that since he was the employee of a private firm, his company had only paid them half of their salary for June in advance for Eid, but he had lost all his cash due to technical glitches and the shortage of money in ATMs.

“I had to take my family for shopping, but owing to this issue, I would now not be able to go shopping for my family,” Ahmed said. Ahmed is not alone to face such a problem in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. In some areas, where the ATM booths still had some cash left, long queues were seen as people tried to get their hands on some cash in scorching heat and most of ATM machines were displaying different ‘templates’ including this ATM is temporarily out of order.



“Every year, particularly before religious festivities such as Eid, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) instructs banks to provide cash facility through their ATMs, but most of the time, banks disappoint their customers by not doling out the cash through their ATMs,” said Noreen Wasif, a resident of Islamabad, told The Express Tribune. However, the State Bank of Pakistan has this year directed banks to ensure availability of cash at ATMs during the Eid holidays. But it remains to be seen to what extent those directives would be complied with.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2017.