by Table of Contents
It was a busy Monday rush hour night and I needed some cash.
Not that cashless payments aren’t available in the Philippines, it’s just that I preferred the convenience of cash and it limits my tendency to overspend.
I was in a mall in Quezon City, near the LRT station and there was a kiosk with several ATMs from different banks. My debit card is an RCBC MyWallet reloadable prepaid card which I personally use just for my daily transactions and online purchases. The reloadable prepaid debit card doesn’t require a minimum monthly balance so it’s highly convenient and perfect for my needs.
Unfortunately, the kiosk didn’t have an RCBC ATM machine. This is my only gripe about using RCBC. RCBC ATM machines are quite unaccessible and they are a bit hard to find.
There were a couple of people lined up in the BPI, Chinabank and Security Bank so I went to the leftmost part of the kiosk which is a BDO ATM Machine.
Oddly enough there wasn’t any line. The machine also looked shabby, and in retrospect, it should’ve been my cue to leave.
But I looked at the screen and it seemed to be online and working. So there I went.
I inserted my card. It asked for my pin and after I entered it, the machine automatically shut down. To my absolute horror, the screen went blank.
The ATM machine made a weird whirring sound as if it choked on something. I thought it was going to eject my card but to my dismay, the screen turned blue and it said “The Machine is Temporarily Available”.
I then waited for 15 minutes. It still didn’t eject my card.
ATM machines usually have an emergency contact number plastered just above the screen. Unfortunately, the BDO ATM machine that ate my card didn’t have any.
In case this happens to you, which I hope not, here’s what to do.
And just a warning though, it’s not a smooth process communicating with BDO and RCBC, at least from my personal experience.
1. Wait for 15 Minutes
Do NOT leave the ATM machine immediately. Wait for at least 15 minutes. Some ATM machines actually eject the card after a couple of minutes.
There’s also a possibility that scammers have tampered with the ATM, making you think that the machine have swallowed it. Once you’ve left, they will then fish out your card.
I stood for at least 30 minutes by the ATM Machine hoping that it’ll eject it out.
If you have someone with you, have him/her wait by the ATM while you ask for assistance from the nearest bank, or from a security guard.
Since it happened at night and the bank nearest to us were already closed, to no avail here’s what I did next:
2. Take note of the time, date, and ATM Machine location
Jot down on a piece of paper the date, time, and location of the incident.
Check for any reference numbers posted on the ATM Machine. If there are important information on the ATM’s screen, take note of that as well.
If in your case the machine is right next to the bank and it’s still open, go there and ask for assistance ASAP.
3. Call the bank’s hotline number
Call the bank’s hotline number right away and have your account blocked so you won’t have to worry about someone fishing it out and using it once you leave.
Here’s what happened to me:
I called the BDO Customer Service Hotline. Their phone number is 8631-8000.
It took me 5 minutes of waiting before I was attended to by their customer service representative.
I gave the customer service representative all important information such as time and location of the incident, my debit card’s account number, and my full name.
I thought that’s all I needed for them to retrieve my card. But that wasn’t the case.
They asked me if the card that was swallowed was a BDO debit card, to which I said no.
The customer service representative then told me that I should call my bank, which is RCBC, because BDO doesn’t retrieve swallowed cards from other banks. She said that RCBC might do the retrieval themselves, or RCBC might advise me to just have the account blocked to eliminate security risks.
So I called the RCBC hotline… and it’s yet another 5 minutes of waiting to be connected to their customer service representative.
I told him the situation, and the nitty gritty details of this saga and to my dismay, he told me to just call BDO and have them retrieve the card since it’s their ATM Machine in the first place.
It was starting to get on my nerves. It seems like both banks were pointing out fingers as to who should take responsibility for what happened!
I told RCBC that I already called up BDO and they said that they don’t do card retrievals anymore; RCBC said that they probably didn’t want to file an incident report so I have to call BDO up again to advise you about what to do next.
I called BDO one more time, and again, it was another 5 minutes of waiting for the customer service representative to pick my call up. I was practically seething through my teeth.
BDO then told me that all cards swallowed by their ATM machines are automatically destroyed for security purposes.
I was dumbfounded. Why only tell me now? Surely you could’ve told me this sooner right?
So BDO advised me that they couldn’t help me anymore and they couldn’t give me any assistance because it’s standard protocol for all banks to destroy all cards. She said that it’s their rule starting August 2020.
Okay.
I completely understand the reasons for this protocol. But what I was annoyed with was the fact that I called them up earlier on and they didn’t tell me straight to the point. They had me calling them back and forth.
So of course, I was left with no choice but to call RCBC again.
RCBC then said that I have no choice but to request for my account to be blocked. And to request for a new card, to which I would pay for 150 pesos. He explained that I need to visit the RCBC branch where I opened my account.
It took me at least 40 minutes before I had a proper answer from both banks’ customer service hotlines.
4. Go to the bank where you opened your account and request for a new card
Another inconvenience is that you have to personally go to the branch of the bank where you first opened your account.
Go to the New Accounts section of your bank, and request for a replacement.
Requirements to getting a new debit card
- Notarized Affidavit of Loss
- Two (2) Valid Government I.D.’s-
Driver’s license, UMID Card, Passport, Police Clearance, NBI, Voter’s ID, Philhealth Card, or other government ID’s containing your name, picture and signature
You can request for a template for an Affidavit of Loss from RCBC and you can fill-up the details in the branch yourself. But afterwards, you’ll have to take the Affidavit of Loss to a Lawyer’s Office and have it notarized. Bring a photocopy as well.
I paid 150 for the notarization of the Affidavit of Loss.
Once you’re done, go back to the bank and submit the Notarized Affidavit of Loss and present Two (2) Government ID’s.
New Card Fees
All in all I paid a total of 300 Pesos to get a new card.
Notarization of the Affidavit of Loss – 150 Pesos
New Card Replacement Fee – 150 Pesos
Total 300 Pesos
Thoughts
Not only was the whole process was such a hassle, but you’d also have to shell out money to get it replaced.
Such a shame that customers are the ones who’d have to be inconvenienced for the bank’s fault.
So next time, here’s what I’d do as a safety precaution when using the ATM’s here in the Philippines:
Since I’m an RCBC debit card holder, I’d make it a point to just withdraw in RCBC ATM’s only.
I have a BPI debit card too so I’d use BPI ATM’s specifically for that card.
If you have a BDO card, then withdraw in BDO ATM’s.
If my card gets swallowed again, they won’t have to charge me for a replacement fee since it’s from the same bank. Issuance of new cards are free for a swallowed card by the same bank.
It’s also safer to withdraw in an ATM attached in a bank. It’s also best to use ATM’s during their office hours.
