Users had to pay charges as town’s free 24-hr ATM out of service
Locals and visitors to the seaside town, which welcomes upwards of 50,000 visitors a year, were complaining as they were forced to turn to other ATMs which charge almost £2 per transaction, writes Gillian Anderson, Local Democracy Reporter.
The 24-hour Ulster Bank cash dispenser on Eglinton Street was out of service from Friday, through the very busy weekend and on Tuesday afternoon it was still displaying a ‘system error message’.
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Hide AdOne visitor to the town described it as ‘a joke’ with another commenting: “I’m just off the train with children and it’s not working. The other free one is too far away and it is ridiculous I have to pay to withdraw my own money.”
Alderman Norman Hillis, a Causeway DEA councillor and local businessman, described the current lack of free cash dispensers as ‘totally unacceptable’.
“We are a leading holiday resort with limited free cash machines which does not make sense,” he said. “When Danske Bank closed in Portrush I complained bitterly but the reaction was ‘there is a cash machine at the Causeway Street Petrol Station’ which is at least half-a-mile from the town centre.
“Whilst the now closed Ulster Bank has still got a cash machine, it was not working at the weekend. I feel we have been abandoned by our banks and wonder what will happen when hopefully we get back to many more international tourists visiting in the 2022 season.
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Hide Ad“We will want them to spend their cash but it looks like they will not be getting it from a machine in Portrush. The same applies in Portstewart and Bushmills as unfortunately not everyone uses credit/cash cards.”
When contacted, an Ulster Bank spokesperson said: “Our ATM was damaged by recent heavy rain and we’re taking all necessary steps to get it fixed quickly. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”