MANILA, Philippines?It seems the saga of man versus machine (the automated teller machine, that is, or ATM) continues and probably will never end as convenience makes it necessary for both bank and clients to let those metal boxes handle transactions.

A reader from Iloilo City, after seeing an item in this column several weeks back, recalled an incident she was an accidental party to. She said the guy ahead of her at the ATM made a withdrawal then heard him complaining that he got a receipt but no cash.

The man left after waiting for a while. When she approached the machine, before she could insert her card, money was dispensed, obviously what the guy should have gotten.

Though she tried to find the man, she found it difficult inside a huge mall to track him down. She decided to leave the money with the guard on duty, hoping he would have better luck finding the unlucky ATM user.

Whether or not he got his cash she does not know but the incident also caused her some concern. She asks, ?Will the bank reimburse the money that the man did not get but was dispensed after he left??

We posed the question to Mike Bernabe, head of the Bank of Philippine Island?s Express Teller Department.

Bernabe says the client should have waited a little longer while the machine counts the money. An ATM user will hear the sound of money being counted as the machine prepares to release the bills.

Bernabe says a precautionary measure in the operation of ATMs is, if the customer fails to get the cash within the span of about 20 seconds, the machine ?takes back? the money and the amount will be credited back to the customer.

Of course, in this case, the machine also failed to follow the usual routine for a successful withdrawal. The ATM screen usually prompts the customer to get card, cash and receipt, in that order. That is why ATM spots are littered with small slips of papers because many users do not bother to wait for their receipts and the next clients just throw them on the floor.

In the case mentioned by the reader, the machine released the card, then the receipt and the money after the customer got tired of waiting.

Knowing that things do not always happen as planned or programmed, Bernabe says ?the bank is expediting the installation of camera in all our ATMs? to preclude any disputes and guide them in reconciling records and settling complaints.

Relieved client

Aida L. Venturina of Quezon City was also victimized when a machine suffered a glitch. Although she did not get any money because the machine malfunctioned, the amount she was trying to withdraw was deducted from her account.

She wants to thank BPI?s Gateway branch manager, who she could only identify as ?Miss Melissa,? for attending to her problem and assuring her that the necessary adjustments would be made to correct her bank records.

As for reader Alex Clarin, who had a problem with a BDO machine, I have already asked for your complaint to be forwarded to BDO. Hopefully, you will hear from the bank soon, if you have not heard from them yet.

Clarification

Reports on melamine contamination of milk and dairy-based products from China have people confused.

Reader Jaime B. Cuyco of Manila is among those people who now find it difficult to sort through the many reports, some of them conflicting, on the melamine issue. He needs clarification in particular about a certain chocolate product.

In his e-mail, Cuyco said while the Department of Health?s Bureau of Food and Drugs (DOH-BFAD) cleared Snickers Chocolate of Mars Food of contamination, the Inquirer published a story saying the South Korean food and drug agency came up with different findings.

He wants to know which government agency is telling the truth?Korea?s or the Philippines??

We forwarded Cuyco?s query to the bureau and got the following response:

?Based on DOH-BFAD Advisory No. 2008-009 dated 03 October 2008, the Snickers product that was found negative for melamine was Snickers Fresh Roasted in Caramel & Soft Nougat in Thick Milk Chocolate. This is one of the samples collected by the food-drug regulation officers and was forwarded to the laboratory for analyses.?

Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94 or e-mail lbolido@inquirer.com.ph