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Quids in - cash machine dispensing free money sparks scenes of student revelry
Last updated at 23:37pm on 23.10.06
People queued for three hours at the ATM in Bristol
Lucky revellers were 'quids in' and queued round the block after a high street cashpoint started dispensing - DOUBLE MONEY.
Hundreds of gleeful punters - mostly students - queued for up to three hours at the Royal Bank of Scotland ATM with most making multiple withdrawals.
But those lucky enough to cash in should not blow their windfall as the RBS has vowed to trace all discrepancies and demand the money back.
It is believed that canny punters fleeced the ATM in well-heeled Clifton, Bristol - which dispensed £20s for every £10 withdrawn - for tens of thousands.
The three hour cash free for all sparked a mini mardi gras atmosphere on the streets with people rejoining the queue having popped into the local off-licence for a few bottles.
Eleanor Woodward, 23, of Bristol, was crossing the road at 3pm when someone told her the ATM was giving out double money.
Marketing assistant Eleanor said: "I withdrew £20 at first and got £40 and then went up to Sainsburys's thinking I'd done really well.
"But then I thought, 'what am I doing?' and headed back down. By this time there were about 12 people there.
"I withdrew another £80 and then felt quite guilty so left it at that, but I texted all my mates and they headed down.
"Within about half an hour there were hundreds of people queueing as everyone must have done the same thing.
"I went over to my flat, which overlooks the bank, and my boyfriend and I sat and watched as everyone - mostly students - laughed and drank beer and having a ball waiting for their money.
"People were maxing out their credit cards up to £1,000 at a time, so God knows how much money the bank lost." Those who missed out were left feeling bitter.
Artist Richard Thorne, 24, an artist, queued for an hour and a half but the machine ran out of money when he was just four from the front.
He said: "I feel quite bitter about it all because there were people at the machines for up to 40 minutes with all their mate's cards and lists of pin numbers, so it meant that we missed out completely.
"However, it was a good atmosphere and people were really in a party mood.
"It was funny watching people driving by confused as there was one cashpoint with hundreds at it and another right next to it with no one queueing at all."
The machine ran out of cash at about 6pm and the lucky winners went out to spend their new money at nearby bars.
James Maloney, manager of Henry Africas Hothouse bar across the road from the ATM, said: "We had bumper takings in the evening - our happy hour has never been so happy!
"Everyone was talking about how much money they'd made.
"It's nice to think that they all had a night out on the Royal Bank of Scotland - very generous of them."
A spokesman for Royal Bank of Scotland refused to confirm how much money was lost, but said the lucky punters would be chased up.
She said: "Unfortunately due to a manual error, there was an issue with the Clifton cash machine dispensing incorrect notes.
"As soon as we were made aware of this the machine was taken out of action at 18:00 hours, Saturday evening.
"The problem has since been rectified and the machine is back up and running.
"We have a record of all the people who made withdrawals from the machine during this period and any discrepancies will be followed up this week.
"A sister machine at the same site was not affected and remained functioning throughout."
Reader views (10)
It's dishonest. If the error had been the other way round these people would be hammering on the doors of the RBS demanding their money back, but I have to admit that I'm only jealous that I didn't know about it and I wasn't able to withdraw double my money.
I agree with Karen from London - how is the bank going to prove who got more than they bargained for?
- Des, Bristol, UK, 25/10/2006 14:12
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When I realised the machine had doubled my money, I tried to ring RBS customer service helpline to report it, but after a bewildering array of choices, all the lines were busy and I was on hold so long that my mobile ran out of power, so in the end I just left it.
Is Robert of Hull saying that RBS should be prosecuted for robbing customers and then ripping them off on its helplines?
Good idea, Robert!
- Gordon Mcgwerter, Britain, 24/10/2006 22:50
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RBS say the mistake was down to manual error, presumably the wrong notes were stashed in the wrong slot. So I would also think then, that they have no physical proof that people were paid double, ie statements that read £20 when it should say £10, only the bank's word for it. If I was one of those lucky people, I'd tell the bank to prove that I was paid double and not give a penny back until they could.
- Karen, London, UK, 24/10/2006 17:02
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Presumably RBS will maintain that its systems are infallible and consequently maintain that all transactions were correct!
- Pablo, London, 24/10/2006 16:44
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Silly fools - do the people who took money out not realise they will have to pay it back? - there is a record of who took what money out during the relevant period. One fool in the piece above even gave her full name and confirmed how much she'd received. When these children grow up they will realise that just because you can do something does not mean you can get away with it. They will all be tracked down and will have to pay the 'free' money back.
- Jane Weston, London, 24/10/2006 14:48
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Awesome! I love it when things like this happen - consumers sticking two fingers up at the banks that fleece them with ridiculously high fees and charges. I'm sure it won't make much of a dent in RBS' disgustingly large annual profits though.
- Paul, London, 24/10/2006 12:52
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Banks are the biggest thiefs so well done students!
- Jamaica Street, london, 24/10/2006 12:18
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More to the point Robert it shows the abysmal level of intelligence in our students that they thought they were getting free money.
- Paul, Ripley , Derbyshire, 24/10/2006 10:52
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Theft? Ha! It was a mistake by the bank, let's not forget a bank with no qualms about 'stealing' £35 charges out of accounts that are apparently 'at their limit'. Good on the people that took advantage, let's hope one of them's an up and coming legal student who can help set a new precedent for banks making mistakes!
- Neil, Notting Hill, 24/10/2006 10:52
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Just goes to show the level of dishonesty in British Society - if I were the senior police officer in the area I would want all those involved traced and interviewed for theft.
- Robert, Hull, East Yorks.,, 24/10/2006 08:22
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