Cash Station Machines Accepting Cash Deposits

I sent the following to the Trib, Sun-Times and Defender: Has anyone else experienced those new ATMs. I have never been as scared as knowing that I had a large amount of cash to deposit and the machine opens because of a malfunction displaying my deposit.

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Dear Editor,

There are times when technological advances are great. But late on Friday night as I attempted to deposit cash into an ATM at a local Chase branch, all I could find were the ones where the machines wanted me to feed the cash directly into it as opposed to accepting the money inside a deposit envelope.



As I attempted to put several thousand dollars into the machine, the dollar feeder area suddenly opened and all my deposit was exposed and the ATM screen displayed a message that the machine was unable to accept a cash deposit. As I took my money back all I could think about was that any criminal watching that area could see me depositing large amounts of cash and kill me for it.



Plus, the dollar feeders, similar to an automatic feed on a photocopy machine, didn't like it when one of the bills didn't get sucked in properly. For a second time that night at a different Chase location, my deposit was exposed for anyone to see. If banks want to use those types of machines during regular banking hours to give customers an option of not needing a teller, then I support it. But ATM locations where the entry is based on swiping your debit card and is viewable to anyone passing by because of the huge expanse of glass windows and doors is not the place to offer that type of an ATM. I don't mind it accepting a check. But cash - no way.



Those type of machines should be immediately outlawed before someone loses their life in a robbery attempt.



Arlene Jones