Woman in Ventspils area forgets card PIN and faces weeks without access to her money
A woman named Inga, from the Ventspils area, had her Swedbank card blocked after entering a wrong PIN three times at an ATM. The bank branch offered her neither a temporary card nor cash, and she is voicing dissatisfaction.
Inga, a resident of the Ventspils area in Latvia whose surname is not given, lost access to her money on 30 October after entering the wrong PIN three times at an ATM, which blocked her bank card. She criticises Swedbank, one of the largest banks in Latvia, for offering no way to get cash quickly at its branch.
What happened
Inga says she was driving back from a cemetery and stopped at an ATM to withdraw money, when she suddenly forgot her PIN. After three failed attempts the card was blocked. She does not deny that the mistake was hers, but she hoped the problem could be solved quickly and went to the Swedbank branch in Ventspils.
What the bank told her
At the branch she was told a new card would be available sometime in November, and that it would arrive in mid-November. A temporary card was also not an option because, as she was told, the queues for them were very long. Cash could not be withdrawn at the branch itself, as it has no cashier desk.
Staff suggested transferring the money to a relative who could hand it over in cash. Inga notes that she lives 40 kilometres from the town. She describes the information desk employee as polite, but says she later heard from another side a remark that she was to blame herself.
Her conclusions
Inga stresses that she did not expect special treatment and understands she must wait for a new card. In her view, however, the bank could not offer any solution for getting to her money when it is truly needed. She believes the situation would be similar at other banks.
The publication does not include a comment from Swedbank on the case.
