Banks love to follow strict rules, that is, until someone follows them too well.

When one young man’s ATM card got unfairly flagged, he figured out how to game the system without breaking a single rule.

Read on for the full story!

You Cannot Have Another Bank Card

I was in a co-op program at my university.

The national bank on campus (a somewhat isolated campus due to the agriculture programs it offered) also had branches in the city near where I was doing my co-op work terms.

This was long ago, when ATMs were new-ish.

Let’s call it last century?

But this ATM trip took an unexpected turn.

I withdrew some money with my bank card in the evening.

Then the next day, I wanted to get more, so I used the ATM at lunch.

Instead of getting cash, the machine ate (retained) my card and ended the transaction.

I went into the branch to see what could be done.

He tries to get help from the bank teller.

Me: The ATM just took my card.

Teller: I’m sorry, sir. (That was nice — I was pretty young.) Do you know your account number?

Me: Yes, I do! (I had a cheque book with me.) Here it is.

[Teller types and looks at the screen.]

But she came back with bad news.

Teller: I’m sorry, sir. You exceeded the withdrawal limit of your account.

Me: Uhh, forty dollars yesterday, and today is too much?

Teller: Yes, sir.

Me: Can I have my card back?

Here’s where things start getting really frustrating.

Teller: No, sir. Your account can no longer be linked to a card because of the limit violation. (I’m an ATM criminal!)

Me: But I don’t have an overdraft. I’m not even close. You can see the balance, right?

Teller: I’m sorry, sir, but that is the bank’s policy.

He tries to escalate the issue.

Me: I’d like to speak to a manager. (I know, jerk move, but it’s my money.)

[Teller takes me to a manager.]

Manager: Ah, Teller tells me you had a bit of trouble with our ATM.

Me: That’s right. I’d like a new card for my account.

The manager basically tells him the same thing.

Manager: I’m sorry. The bank’s policy is not to trust people that don’t follow the rules. We cannot issue you a new card — ever again.

Me: It’s still my money, right?

Manager: Of course, sir!

So he has a little plan up his sleeve.

Me: I want to close my account.

Manager: Here, let’s go have Teller take care of that for you.

[Teller goes through all the work to close my account and give me cash.]

Time to put it into action.

Me: Thank you very much. Now, I understand that new accounts get a bank card, is that right?

Teller: Yes, sir. You get a card and PIN as soon as you open an account. You even get some table cheques to start you off while your order is being printed.

Me: I’d like to open an account and get a bank card for it, please.

Incredibly, he ended up with exactly what he wanted.

I complied with their rules and ended up with exactly what I started with.

Alas, the poor teller was the one that had to do all the work, but no way was I going to pay out-of-system fees to use their ATMs on campus if I’d gone to a different bank.

These bank tellers paid the price in paperwork for their rigidness that day.

What did Reddit have to say?

The bank’s rules are maddeningly inefficient at times.

It’s clear these tellers didn’t actually know what they were talking about.

The whole concept of overdraft fees is just nonsensical.

In this case, the young man was fully justified in asking for the manager.

He may have lost that card, but he ended up gaining the upper hand against the bank’s unnecessary rules.

Lose the battle, win the war!

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.