Korean Job Discussion Forums

pet lover · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Location: not in Seoul

I deposited some money today and as I was walking out, I glanced at my bank book to delight in the new number.

There was no new number.

I went to that machine that is ONLY for updating your bank book. Put it in and it spat it back out.

Trying not to panic (I once lost 300,000 due to an ATM error and I never got it back), I went to each ATM in turn and tried to update the bankbook. Each machine coldly informed me that there was nothing to update.

I picked up a phone and pushed buttons until I had someone online. She assured me she could speak English (I could not even think of one word in Korean at this panicked point). I told her what happened and she told me to wait. I waited. About ten minutes, sweating the entire time. (It was HOT in there.) Finally, someone who COULD actually speak English got on. I told him what happened and he told me to nab the next Korean who came in. I did and they talked for what seemed like an eternity, with the man flipping through my bankbook the whole time because I'd foolishly left it right there for any curious eyes and since he was HELPING, I wasn't about to snatch it out of his hands.

Finally, they established where we were. Considering what a hard time that Korean man had to explain where the bank was, I'm certainly glad that they didn't bother to ask me.

10 minutes later, a guy in a uniform showed up. He tried to update the bankbook and couldn't. Big surprise. He called someone or another on that little ATM phone and talked and talked. Finally, he was able to tell me what happened...the dang machine had run out of ink and when I tried to update it at other machines, they all "thought" it had already been updated, because according to some computer, it had. The computer apparently didn't recognize when there was a complete lack of ink.

I still didn't trust it. I was remembering the lost 300,000 won and 940,000 is quite a bit more! Luckily, I happened to have 10,000 in chan won notes in my pocket which I exchanged with the woman goo-gooing over my dogs (yeah, of COURSE they were with me) for a man won note. Deposited it in a DIFFERENT machine (actually, I wasn't trusted with this....the ATM guy did it) and then I got a proper update WITH INK this time and had a much nicer number in my bank book.

So, moral of this longwinded story is that if your bankbook doesn't update; don't panic. Move to another machine and deposit another 10,000. If you're lucky, it was just a lack of ink. If not, do NOT leave that ATM until matters have been fully fixed. That 300,000 won I lost a few years back? I was told that since I had left the ATM, there was nothing they could do about it. This was after being assured by NUMEROUS people that there was in fact no problem and I could go home. Don't trust anyone until you've got in in writing by the ATM.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

The Pet Lover Family and ATM's have a kind of an on-going feud, don't you?

Since it's that much of a problem, I suggest you store your wealth in my account. I never have any problems with the machines.

pet lover · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Location: not in Seoul

You are as generous and kind as ever. How thoughtful of you to worry about my money. Perhaps though, considering that I have a difficult time with ATMs, we should first test it by you making a transfer of your funds to my account. Just to be sure it works you see.

Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 05 May 2005

Dang that is serious O ring pucker factor. Props for not running into the street screaming curse words and stopping traffic for miles around with your Truffle Shuffle imitation.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

pet lover · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Location: not in Seoul

Think you are clever, huh? That Nigerian works for ME!

Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 05 May 2005

Damn you got owned Ya Ta

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

maeil · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Location: Haebangchon

I have an ATM experience that made my day one time... well, made part of it, anyway.

Early in the morning, trying to catch a bus back to Seoul, I hit up an ATM in a 7-11 and did what I needed to do to withdraw 30,000 won. As it's counting the money I think, "Gee, it's taking a long time," and instead of 30,000 won, I receive 300,000 won. Now, I went back and checked. I had not pressed the wrong button. The strange part was this: at that point I only should have had about 100,000 won in my bank account. After giving me 300,000, the screen told me that I had 100,000 left available for withdrawal. What?

A few hours later and I'm halfway to Seoul. At a rest stop I go to another ATM to figure out what is going on. I do the "check balance" option. The ATM tells me that I have no less than 4,504,259,760,556 won available for withdrawal. Yes, 4 trillion won. My sleepy friend said to me, "Wait, so that's what... 400,000 dollars (USD)?" "Um, no. That would be about 4 billion dollars, dear." I took a picture of the screen with my cell phone and laughed about the possibility of this. Ten minutes later I check a different ATM, and it tells me the same thing. Well snap.

A few hours after that I return to Bundang. I run to my bank's ATM, check the balance. Seems I had been paid that day - my balance was my monthly wage, minus 200,000 won. That explains how withdrawing 300,000 won in the early part of the day was possible (though I SWEAR I didn't press the wrong button), but it sure doesn't explain the sudden windfall in the middle.

Anyway, from time to time when I am feeling poor, I look at the picture on my cell phone and remind myself of that crazy, elated yet 100% not-convinced feeling that I had. It was fun while it lasted.

Asthenia · Joined: 15 Jun 2006

And yet you didn't withdraw it all? Well done.