Bank of America's ATM 'ate' my rent money, and I'm kinda screwed. What steps should I be taking?

Question

It’s a bit past midnight coming home from a friends house, when I decided to use a BoA drive-thru ATM that I frequently visit.

I attempted to deposit $420 in $20’s.

Machine returned one twenty, and successfully accepted the $400. The screen showed that the $400 was accepted, and asked if I needed to deposit more cash, so I selected the “Deposit More Cash” button on the screen.

I then deposited $65 in two 10’s, five 5’s, and twenty 1’s. The screen said that it could not accept some of the bills. However, it never returned any bills. The slot where we insert the cash made some weird noises for roughly 20 seconds.

Shortly after, the ATM closed my transaction. It never deposited the $400 that was accepted, nor did it deposit the additional $65 I attempted to deposit right after. It just went back to the intro ‘welcome’ screen that plays on loop at the ATM. It never gave me the opportunity to confirm my deposit. It just took my money and moved on.

On a separate transaction, I then deposited a $20 bill and a $5 bill hoping to see that the previous deposit of $465 would appear on my account. The $25 was successfully deposited, but my $465 deposit was nowhere to be in sight. No receipt. No money credited to my account.

Now I’m down $465 with rent due in a couple days. I really need my money back ASAP, or my apartment complex will be charging me a ridiculous $100 late fee.

Who should I contact at BoA to get this matter handled ASAP? How long do these types of investigations take? What are the chances of BoA screwing me over and denying that I deposited any money? Will I be able to pursue legal action? Is is possible that BoA will reimburse me for the $100 late rent fee, since after all, it is their machine that screwed up?

Thanks in advance, -Stressed out apartment owner with rent due tomorrow.

Answer 1

I've had a BofA ATM screw up a deposit too. They will get it right. Call BofA or go to the same branch in the morning, explain the problem and submit a dispute. In my case, they credited my account immediately for the disputed amount.

They'll get the cash from the ATM and reconcile the amounts in the machine with your claim. It'll take a few days to sort out. It all worked out fine for me, try not to stress. They'll make it right and you should be able to get the immediate credit.

Answer 2

There is usually a phone number on the side of the ATM to call for situations like this. That is where I would start.

Can you pursue a legal action? Sure, you could do that even if the machine didn't eat your money. Anyone can do that for any reason. The pertinent question is whether you will win. Maybe, but even if you do it would take a while and probably cost more time/money than it is worth.

It isn't like there was malicious intent from the bank, call the ATM vendor or bank, and politely explain your situation. No need to start the conversation by threatening a lawsuit.

What are the chances of BOA screwing you over? Based on their reputation, probably higher than they should be.