VEHARI: Most automated teller machines (ATMs) in the city are out of order with Eid just round the corner.

Several customers in need of money to shop for Eid found ATMs displaying a message saying “Sorry, service has been disconnected temporarily”.

ATM users were also facing technical issues, including misreporting about cash, deduction from account during a transaction without delivery and frequent messages like “Link down”, “ATM is out of order” or “Your bank failed to respond”.

Banks have reportedly been instructed to ensure round-the-clock services during the Eid holidays. The State Bank of Pakistan’s instructions to banks right before Eid seemed like a temporary move to pacify thousands of customers facing ATM-related issues. Customers complained a major problem was the machine’s misreporting of cash delivery. The machine did not deliver cash but deducted the required amount from a customer’s account.

A banker claimed all banks were strictly following SBP instructions to keep ATMs operative ahead of and during Eid but excessive loadshedding was disrupting their functioning.

A customer, Abdul Rasheed, said he had come to the city for Eid shopping and wanted to use an ATM, but found its service “disconnected temporarily”. A government employee said he went to an ATM to withdraw his salary on Sunday but returned unsuccessful as the machine was not working. However, bank administrations blamed frequent power outages and down links for faulty ATMs.

Citizens appealed to the SBP to look in to the issue and resolve it before Eid.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2014