CINDERFORD'S HSBC bank has been slammed by a Monmouth couple – after the cashpoint machine at the High Street branch failed to give them the £500 they tried to withdraw, but still debited their account.

The couple contacted the Review after the series of disturbing events left them without money over the weekend, that they had intended to use in the January sales. They wrote: "Please can you make the general public aware of the problem with a link cardcash machine which is owned by HSBC bank in Cinderford. We would not like what happened to us to happen to someone else."

They added: "We have never in our entire lives contacted a newspaper before, but we feel very strongly about what has happened to us."

The saga began on Friday December 27, when Mike and Amanda Parker of Monmouth visited the HSBC bank in Cinderford, with the intention of withdrawing some money so that they could then go and take advantage of the January sales in Gloucester. But from the start, they realised that something was badly wrong.

Mrs Parker takes up the story: "I went to this link cardcash machine to withdraw £500, with the intention of then going in to Gloucester for the sales that same day.

"I entered my PIN number as per usual, and requested an on-screen balance, and then requested to withdraw £500. The machine was processing my request, but just kept making a noise as though it was counting the money. I waited quite a while, but it did not give me any money – just a receipt showing that my balance had dropped by £500, and then another receipt saying that there was an error with this machine."

On confronting the HSBC staff over the problem, they were told to re-access the machine again, when it should have shown the £500 had not been taken from the account.

But on returning to the cashpoint, they used a second machine, but were told by members of the public that the one they had selected did in fact give out money, but did not give paper receipts. Their on-screen balance was still £500 down.

The Parkers then tried again in the branch. Mrs Parker explains what happened next: "I then went back into HSBC and spoke to another member of staff who said that they knew the one machine did not give out receipts, and that the other one would sometimes not give out the money – because it could have had a power surge. They were well aware of the problems with these machines, but still let members of the public carry on using them.

"She informed me that because I do not bank with them that she could not help me, and that I would have to contact my own bank. So my husband and I travelled to our bank in Monmouth, and paid for car parking."

Visiting their own bank, the Parkers filled out an ATM dispute form, as part of the procedure to get their money back, and were told that when the HSBC branch had cashed up for the day, the money would be refunded into their account by 6pm.

Mrs Parker said: "But that did not happen, so my husband and I had a very worrying weekend of not knowing for definite if we were going to get our money back. We could not go shopping, and had no money for the weekend.."

The following Monday, December 30, the Parkers contacted their own bank and, to their relief, their £500 was refunded.

But this has not reduced the ire they feel over the situation: "We have had no apology from HSBC and we think that it is disgusting that we had to wait for our money, and that HSBC carried on allowing members of the public to use their machines, knowing that there was a fault with them."

They also believe that they know of another customer who had a similar problem to theirs about six months ago.

A spokesman for the Financial Services Ombudsman, the government watchdog which monitors banks, told the Review: "There are actually two problems here, the first being the physical problem that the machine failed to give them their money, and a second problem in their being sent off to their own bank to try and resolve the issue. The two banks should have been in contact with each other to help the customers resolve the issue as fast as possible."

HSBC failed to respond to requests for a statement at the time the Review went to press.

•Have you had a problem with this cashpoint, or others in the local area? If so, let the Review know, by phone on 01594 841113, or e mail us at