The Novinky.cz server wrote that when trying to withdraw money or even just look at the balance on the account, Euronet clients will be charged money for information about the balance without showing it to people. Reporter Janek Rubeš drew attention to this in his video from the Boys from Prague series on the YouTube server. After a person enters a PIN at a Euronet ATM, they are offered two options. The first is called Cash & Balance and the second is labeled Other. If he clicks on the first of the options, thinking he’s just withdrawing money, the machine takes the money from his account as a fee.
“We have introduced the functionality in many countries in the good faith that we will increase the comfort for clients so that they know the balance on the account right away along with the withdrawal. Euronet does not charge anything for this service. Fees are always charged by the client’s bank, and in most countries banks do not charge any fees for this service,” said Kozák.
“We advise clients not to use the Euronet ATM network for transactions,” said Komerční banka spokesman Michal Teubner. Balance inquiry is free for KB clients within the shared ATM network, i.e at Komerční banka, Air Bank, Moneta Money Bank and UniCredit Bank machines, he reminded.
The ATM operator should ensure that the screens inform the client transparently and truthfully about the services offered and that these services are subsequently actually provided to the client, said ČSOB spokeswoman Michaela Průchová. “We consider Euronet’s approach a gross mistake,” she added. According to her, if the situation has already occurred, the client should contact their card issuer with a complaint.
Česká spořitelna considers the method of client communication at Euronet’s ATMs to be misleading and initiates negotiations to negotiate a remedy. “The fee for displaying the client’s account balance is generated by Euronet immediately as soon as the client enters this request. Unfortunately, it does not provide us with information on whether the balance was actually shown to the client in the end,” said bank spokesman Lukáš Kropík. According to him, clients who were charged a fee for displaying their balance in Euronet ATMs without doing so can pay it at the savings bank claim directly in digital banking George.
Air Bank offers its clients a free balance display service, both at its own ATMs and at ATMs of other banks. “So if a client with our payment card withdraws from Euronet ATMs and chooses the ‘account balance display’ service, then according to our price list, we do not charge him anything for displaying the balance. Between us and the operator of the ATM, there will be costs for this service, but we do not pass them on to the clients,” said bank spokeswoman Jana Pokorná.
The Czech National Bank does not supervise the operation of so-called independent ATMs, i.e. the activities of Euronet. “However, if there is no quick remedy, the CNB is ready to resolve the matter with all interested parties, i.e. with Euronet, banks and card schemes within the Bank Card Association,” central bank spokeswoman Štěpánka Filipová told ČTK.
