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Huge queues as Tesco cash machine gives customers ‘free money’
Tim Stewart18.08.09
Shoppers in west London enjoyed an unexpected windfall after a Tesco cash machine gave out double the amount of money requested.
Within minutes of the machine mistakenly starting to dispense extra £20 notes, customers had summoned their friends and family by phone to make the most of the giveaway.
Soon a lengthy queue had formed outside the Tesco Express ATM in Cranford, Hounslow.
Thousands of pounds were taken out before the glitch was spotted by the supermarket giant, whose slogan is "Every little helps".
A local businessman said: "I was fourth in the queue when I heard the man at the front telling someone on his mobile that the machine was paying out double. The person in front of me managed to take out double too. It really was a case of 'Buy one, get one free'.
"I then tried and got an extra £20 when I requested £20. The news spread like wildfire and within an hour there was a huge queue of getting on for 50 people. Everyone was calling their friends and family to come and get the 'free' cash. Some people were there at the machine for five minutes at a time taking out as much as they could on their different cards."
He added: "I checked an hour and a half later and people were still getting double money. It was only when I had a look five hours later that the machine said it was out of order.
"I don't know whether it had been emptied of cash but Tesco must have lost thousands."
A Tesco spokesman said the supermarket closed the machine as soon as they were aware of the fault. He said the company would not be trying to recoup the cash from people who took advantage last Thursday evening.
The spokesman added: "This was thankfully an extremely rare operational error. We will not be trying to recover the money."
In April, investment banker Joanne Jones and her husband Darren were convicted of plundering more than £60,000 from a faulty HSBC cash machine at a Waitrose supermarket in Billericay, Essex.
Over a period of 88 days they made more than 300 visits to the machine, which failed to register withdrawals if customers were overdrawn.
The pair, from Wickford, Essex, were each given nine-month suspended sentences and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work in the community after admitting the theft of £61,400.
In January, shoppers queued late into the night - some in their pyjamas - outside Sainsbury's in Welshpool, Powys, to take advantage of another cash machine issuing double the funds requested.
Reader views (32)
But how degrading to be seen waiting in this queue of mercenary little scroungers!
- Jacky, Brighton, England
Local Businessman, Hounslow
Did you hand in the money? I've contacted the Police and they are opening an investigation. Theft is theft.
- Gerry, London
David, London.
No, no. Not hiding behind any computer. Happy to stand by my comments in person. Lets recap for the hard of thinking.
Local Businessman tells us that he managed to drag himself into the store to inform the staff of the faulty machine after withdrawing money, knowing full well that the machine was giving out more money than it should. Apparently he was "doing his duty".
Local Businessman also tells us, through the story, that 90 minutes later the machine was still giving out double the money. Tesco tell us, through the story, that they closed the machine as soon as they were aware of the fault.
You draw your own conclusions David, I'll stand by my comments, which are not reserved soley for Local Businessman, but to any theif that took money from that machine knowing full well it was giving out more than it should; more than they were entitled to.
Just for your benefit David, I once was given SEVEN times the amount requested from a machine. I returned the money to the branch immediately. The transaction did not even appear on my account. Actually, I think that does make me the bigger man.
- Escobar A-Lop-Lop, Mad as hell and not taking it anymore...
Few weeks ago I encountered similar situation at Asda in Beckton. The self service machine had dispensed £1o note for an unknown customer who forgot to take his or her note. However I took the sum to one of the staff and give detail with regards to the money, he said "thank you" and he put money in his pocket . I was watching him thinking he was going to give the sum to customer service counter in the shop, but to no avail.
- Noir, London, England
Escobar-Alop-Lop, Camden County
Do you feel like a big man hiding behind your computer insulting people?
- David, London
Free cash at Tesco's machine + not trying to recoup the money from the lucky punters.
Tesco's marketing achieved more good publicity with a free few thousand quid than it would have gained with a 30-second advert on a third-rate telly network.
- Dan, Vienna
I am saddened to read the comments of, let's not mince words, thieves trying to justify their actions. The comments really sum up why this country is in such a moral and ethical mess.
- Ian F, London, UK
>> Can anyone tell me why Tesco will not be trying to recover the money... H from London
I suspect that it may be difficult for them to prove or even track who received double money. Unless they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, who did and didn't receive double money, it will be very difficult to recoup the money. The fact that the cash machine was faulty makes any evidence it may have recorded unreliable.
It really doesn't surprise me that the woman convicted in April is an investment banker.
- J Smith, UK
I agree with other comments here that this is theft (assuming dishonesty, which seems likely): they should each be prosecuted.
- Alan, London
"Who can blame them"?
To all those who have called these people thieves and dishonest - In this country, if you are law abiding and walk straight down the line, all you get is milked by the taxman and abused by all and sundrie. Our politicians are dishonest. Big businesses abuse us on a regular basis so can you really blame these people who had the chance of some free extra cash at the expense of a Gigantic corporation who, in my opinion, doesn't give a stuff about the ordinary person - just how to take their money!
- Mark, Sheffield
So, lets be clear, Local Businessman, Hounslow, that you were in the queue, you heard someone at the head of the queue telling his mates all about it, you remained in the queue until you got your extra £20, and then you informed the Tesco staff?
You gave the extra £20 back, right? Otherwise nothing about my first comment, which was also edited by the way (I understand now why), changes.
- Escobar-Alop-Lop, Camden County
Usukgal, Florida, I remember a similar incident which took place in a Surrey village in the late 70's, when a long queue formed at an unmanned petrol station because it was dispensing free fuel. To read into this recent incident that standards in our country are falling and that we are going to hell is hysterical nonsense.
- Adrian, Dorking
Why not take advantage.
After all there is a cash machine called The House of Commons which has been spewing cash to those in the know for years.
- Andrew Nicholls, Ely ,England
A message for Escobar-Alop-Lop.
Dear sir,
The story doesn't mention the fact that I (the local business man) did actually walk in and tell the Tesco staff about the machine after I withdrew. My duty was done and I didn't feel even the slightest bit a scumbag.
But thanks for your kind words sir.
- Local Businessman, Hounslow
"extremely rare operational error"
...in other words, somebody loaded £20 notes into the £10 hopper.
Enjoy your windfall folks, and spare a thought for your unknown benefactor, who probably earned close to the minimum wage and is probably now looking at a P45.
- Al, Glasgow
Sally is spot in. This is theft - dishonestly obtaining property by anothers mistake with the intention of permanently depriving them of it. They were dishonest in that they knew the machine was faulty - they knew they were not entitled to the extra cash and they all had the intention of keeping it. I wonder how many of them moaned about the MPs fiddling their expenses and wanted them out. Those in the queue all seem to be of a similar age group - is it a generation thing? Tescos are quite wrong in not pursing these people to make them pay it back. Why do they therefore prosecute people for shoplifting but not for blatantly stealing from their cash machine. Double standards all round.
- B Gare, Norfolk Gorleston
Common theft, and a sad indication of the way society has gone.
I hope Tesco recoup all the cash, and prosecute people who withdrew their ill-gotten gains!
- Jock, London
Theft is theft. And shame on you all who have taken advantage of similar situations. If someone plundered your account for even as little as £10.00 you'd be calling for life imprisonment for the crook. British people!!!!!! Just arrogant... moaning... infantile hypocrites!
- James, London
Wish to join that Que upset i missed it!!
- Danielle, London
Whilst admitting that supermarkets preside over a system of distribution which distorts competition and extingishes choice, I cannot condone theft. If you want to "get one over" on big business try campaigning to protect small shops from residential conversion, and for the visitor facilities they need, to establish a direct relationships between smallholders in the country and town. That would be more honest.
- Reg, London, inner city
My grandfather once realized , when I was a child in Devon, that he had been given too much change at a local cafe. He went back there to put matters right. How times have changed. What happend to the standards of honesty and integrity of our forefathers? Where is the UK going? To hell?
- Usukgal, Ocala, Florida
There isn't a huge difference between this and MPs claiming their expense allowances to the MAX. This is not free money, its theft....
- Myles, London
bob, I: think you are mistaken
I was lucky enough to find a bank machine that was giving out £20s instead of £10s 3 years ago. I noticed the error and withdrew all my money on the spot and told family members who also did the same!
Never heard a peep from the banks.
- Serox, London
No doubt they'll all be complaining when Tesco put their prices up.
- Paul, London
however you look at this it is stealing, and although I agree that supermarkets make too much money out of ordinary people, I still think they should claim the money back. If people were drawing out money they knew they were not entitled to that there is only one word for it - THEFT
- Sally Brooks, uk
I would have struggled between helping myself and informing tesco staff. I think the right thing to do would be to inform tesco staff.
- Daniel Rodger, Birmingham
No doubt all those that queued to get the 'free' money were the same ones moaning about MP expsnses. Double standards spring to mind.
- Jl, London
Congratulations to them. I don't know why they just took 20 pounds, I would have taken the maximum amount allowed!
- Ed, London
Can anyone tell me why Tesco will not be trying to recover the money, its not some minor error that happened to one or two customers, look mat the queue! All those thieves knew what they where doing and all the transactions are recorded.
- H, London, UK
When will people learn? The banks will always reclaim the cash from this so it's utterly pointless.
- Bob, Cheam
MONEY FOR NOTHING.
THOSE PUNTERS MUST HAVE FELT JUST LIKE MP's COLLECTING THEIR OBSCENE EXPENSES IN THE HOUSE OF CONMEN.
EVERY LITTLE CERTAINLY HELPS!!
- Reuben Camara, Principality of Morecambe, UK
I wonder how the "local businessman" would feel if people started taking double what they were entitled to from his business?
He didn't bother to tell the staff in the store. He "checked" the queue 90 minutes later and still didn't bother to inform the Tesco staff? Scumbag is the only word I can summon up right now.
- Escobar-Alop-Lop, Camden County
