It's a good thing the ATM notes did not ask for all your cash. I've often thought there was someone inside these machines.
this is pretty funny. but i dont get what happened. they dont explain the situation. to be trapped from the inside is crazy. maybe the lock broke.
"maybe the lock broke."
Funny thing--it did break.
What is even funnier is he was there to fix the broken lock.
The trapped "locksmith" should have sent out a note through the ATM machine asking someone to please call a "locksmith". Evidently they do do things big in Texas, even screw ups. I guess he sort of got his 15 minutes of fame, or infamy.
Not quite the same as locking oneself inside an ATM but at least this fellow had his cellphone with him.
One has to wonder if there would be quite as many incidents of this type if the "victims" were required to compensate society for their "misfortune." Perhaps it would give rise to a whole new line of personal insurance.
Good point. What it cost the taxpayers to extricate this dumpster diver could have purchased many new cell phones. I don't know if the Fire Dept. still rescues cats from trees, but, if they do, given the number of cats in the US, one can imagine how much this costs the taxpayers. Fearing for my safety, I would never suggest that we get rid of cats or never rescue them, but would support your idea of people investing in insurance to cover such events. Perhaps the government, oh my, could set up something similar to health savings accounts, where people have the choice to save up to pay for these rare situations, thereby avoiding the exorbitant costs they would otherwise be charged from the appropriate agencies.
I do wonder if the fire dept. people were smiling as they stood around trying to think of a way to get the fellow out of the trash chute--- one would think a harness would have been one of the brain's first responses. Just speculating. Well, I suppose there was a lesson learned. Oh, and I don't think the lost and stolen phone insurance that now exists would cover this unfortunate situation.
Way back when ATMs 1st came out I worked in the engineering dept. of a bank.
For some time folks really hated the idea of them before becoming dependent upon them for their convenience.
What has always amused me greatly is the phrase 'ATM machine';
When I used to be in converation with anyone who said that I'd slip in something pointing to the
ATM machine machine machine as being a bit redundant, redundant, redundant.
(Some folks STILL didn't seem to get that attempt at humour though...)
You are certainly right about the term "ATM machine"--people just say that. In fact I know someone who works in a bank who routinely says "ATM machine."
People seem to have a strange relationship with machines and money--many just prefer to stand in line and deal with a "real person" rather than a machine. I can understand a reluctance to deposit cash into a machine as proving your case if something goes wrong can be a challenge. However for everything else it seems harder to explain why people are hesitant.
One place where "machines" should be far more common is the Post Office. For most people, there is really no need to deal with a clerk except for a few items. The long lines could easily be eliminated with more machines. Of course, so would the need for so many workers and therefore it is unlikely to happen anytime soon since the Post Office is not concerned about costs.
VIN Number.
PIN Number.
Hot Water Heater.
TIN number, etc, etc
More Machines: Yes, we might do well to look to some other countries, such as France, to rid ourselves of P.O. unhappiness. When in France, I walked past several post offices where there were no employees, counters, or lines of people---but just machines inside. In fact, one can take care of one's postal needs in some bakeries, where one can eat a pastry while sending a package, which certainly beats standing in line waiting for the customer at the counter to finish telling his life story to the harried postal worker, as we do in the USA. Privatizing the US P.O. and allowing Amazon to run it, would lead to a better experience for all.
Machines and Money,and Hesitancy: For some time, Google, Apple, etc., have desired that we use our cell phone machines to make purchases in lieu of our credit cards, and, though I have no data, I suspect people have not signed on to this method as these companies had hoped. Perhaps it is just a matter of time before this becomes a wide practice.