"Trapped" in the ATM Booth
By dolce_vita78
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
Philippines
January 30, 2013 6:02pm CST
Few minutes ago, I was on queue at the ATM booth near our university.
Someone went in ahead of me just as I arrived. As usual, I patiently waited. Almost five minutes have passed and I did not yet have my turn. After a couple more minutes, our queue got longer. The woman behind me peeped at the door and looked at me with impatient eyes. I could understand exactly how she feels since I was there longer than she was. We waited for a few minutes more. Those behind me were already saying: "She's probably trapped inside", "She has withdrawn all the money in the machine", "Ask her, she probably needs more time."
Finally, she went out of the booth -- after 15 minutes!
What do you do when you are in the same situation? Would you have knocked and asked her if she was having troubles withdrawing money from the machine? 
3 people like this
14 responses
@dpk262006 (58678)
• Delhi, India
31 Jan 13
Hi!
She was probably a first timer who was ignorant about the operation of an ATM.
She was undecisive and probably a fool because if she was not able to operate she could have asked someone standing outside for help.
She was selfish also as she did not bother to care that her foolish activities or inactivities were making others wait outside.
Had I been there I would have asked her about the problem and would have reminded her that others are also in the queue.
@intelinsideyou (664)
• India
31 Jan 13
Yes that can also be one of the reasons as 15 minutes are way too much. Whatever may be the reason, she should had looked outside as how many people were angry because of her. If she was having any problem in operating it then she could have called somebody for help but she didn't. I am surprised as no one asked her also.
@SIMPLYD (90721)
• Philippines
13 Jul 16
15 minutes inside an ATM booth . Hmm, maybe she is a loan shark withdrawing from the ATMs being made as collaterals to her . That's now the craze here with loan sharks .
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 13
The lady was wrong to spend fifteen minutes in the ATM booth when a huge queue was forming behind her. It is possible to withdraw money, check a balance or order a new banking thing like a paying in book.
Sometimes I use two different bank cards at an ATM machine. I do that as quickly as I can. I make sure I am not holding anyone up for very long. I feel guilty when I am processing photos and people are waiting. In your situation I would have asked the lady if she was having any problem that I could help her with.
@anaknitatay (1335)
• Philippines
1 Feb 13
I have been in situations like that before usually when I'm near an office. The woman ahead of you probably withdrew a large amount or was withdrawing for several people.
if it was me, I would have said something rude to her after the first few minutes. those kind of transactions should not be done at an ATM but over the counter though sometimes we can't blame her, since there are some banks that do not allow over the counter transactions if you already have an atm card (they usually slap a penalty fee on you if you do)
I think this is bad practice for banks, I mean who are these measures for--- the banks' convenience or ours? 
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
31 Jan 13
I think she was counting the money multiple times and checking the currency notes, here in my place in many ATM booths, fake currency and less amount comes out, if you complaint none will hear you complaint
Another possibility the card might have been stuck, that happens too.
@chiyosan (30183)
• Philippines
31 Jan 13
Oh my God! I think this lady who was in the atm booth was likechecking the balance, then withdraws, then counts the money, then keeps it then check the balance again and then withdraw.. i mean how can someone stay in an atm booth for 15 minutes! had it been not at a time like when you were there, i think she would have been robbed inside! I can understand about 5 minutes, especially some machines does take long to process... but not really 15 minutes. he he
but if it was me, i would really have asked if her atm card was swallowed by the atm. i just think a person can't withdraw so much in atm because there are daily withdrawal limits.
@rsa101 (38166)
• Philippines
31 Jan 13
Wow 15 minutes?I think that is abnormally long transacting there. I suspect that the lady is not yet knowledgeable on how it operates and has to read everything in the machine before she can respond to the machine. I think when I do transact with ATM machines it can take me less than a minute before I am done with my transaction.
If she is withdrawing large sum of money then it might be good that she goes inside and withdraws it there since it is much safer and will be counted infront of you with a teller.
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
31 Jan 13
Definitely, I would! The ATM was made to have an easy access to our account without having the need to fall in such a long line in the bank. So if she really needed help, she should have asked someone and not let everybody wait that long.
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
31 Jan 13
not sure, maybe she was doing a few transaction or had many accts. to work with.. Never know....
@intelinsideyou (664)
• India
31 Jan 13
15 minutes for a single person in the ATM booth is too much. I wonder what she was doing inside. May be she was having many cards for transactions. But if she was doing
only single transaction in 15 minutes then she was crazy. Although people outside seemed to be very polite as no one knocked and asked her about the problem.
@TLilly12 (1229)
• United States
31 Jan 13
The lady might have been, withdrawing a large amount, of money and that might have been taking her, a very long time to come out of the ATM booth.
@21ravensbaby (4)
• United States
31 Jan 13
i would just be patient and wait. i saw the movie atm and didn't like the outcome. but on the real side i would be very mad, it doesn't take that long to get money out. you either have it or you don't. i would have yelled out are you okay in there lol...
