Customer receives Rs15,000 compensation after ATM debits Rs10,000 without dispensing cash

The Story in Brief

A Kerala district consumer commission, in an order dated July 27, found Union Bank of India liable for deficiency in service after an ATM debited Rs 10,000 from customer P.K. Sathian’s savings account without dispensing any cash. Sathian had used a Union Bank ATM at Kallai Road in Kozhikode on July 28, 2022; the amount was deducted though no cash was issued. He lodged a written complaint with the bank’s Cherootty Road branch on July 30, 2022 and another with the Kallai Road branch on August 12, 2022, but the bank did not refund the money, prompting him to approach the consumer commission.

The bank relied on the ATM’s Electronic Journal (EJ) to say the withdrawal had succeeded. The bench, comprising president Priya S and member V Balakrishnan, held that the bank failed to produce CCTV footage that could have shown whether cash was dispensed, and that the EJ alone was insufficient proof. The commission found both deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice, directed refund of Rs 10,000 and ordered Rs 5,000 as compensation to be paid within 30 days, with 9% annual interest if payment was delayed.

The Indian Opinion

The report presents a clear consumer ruling, but readers should note where facts remain thin. The commission’s finding rests heavily on the absence of CCTV footage; the bank’s EJ records are mentioned but were not accepted as conclusive evidence. It is sensible for a neutral reader to question why the CCTV was not produced and whether the bank’s internal procedures or ATM operator records were examined. Headlines emphasising the total “Rs 15,000 relief” may sound dramatic; the sum combines the refunded amount and ordered compensation, and does not by itself explain the underlying technical or procedural reasons for the failed cash dispense.

Original article: Customer gets Rs 15,000 relief after ATM debits Rs 10,000 without dispensing cash (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

This story was summarised and commented on by AI from the source linked above.