Problems with ATMs in Santiago de Cuba: "They deduct the money, but do not dispense it."

A young Cuban reported that an ATM in Santiago de Cuba deducted money from his dad, but did not give it to him.

Through Facebook, the user Alejandro Rodríguez reported the incident that occurred at the ATM of the Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Cuba.

"A week ago, my dad went to the clinic's ATM and tried to withdraw money. The ATM deducted 4,000 pesos but didn't give him the money," the young man began his report.

He added that when his father went to the bank, they told him that he was one of almost 30 people who had experienced the same issue, although they did not provide an immediate solution.

"They told him that he should go in three days," the young man points out.

But three days later, the response was also not what was expected. "They told him to go back in two days because the communication was bad. And that we had to get in touch with Havana (typical of the centralist and regionalist politics that afflict this country)," the young man recounts, also making remarks about the problems that commonly plague Cubans and that the government is unable to resolve.

"Havana must solve a problem that occurs 1,000 km away," he noted, questioning the logic of Cuban bureaucratism.

Finally, when his dad returned after two days, they informed him that "they cannot give him the money. In that case, it's a thousand pesos and wait 30 to 45 days to receive the full amount on his card, because they cannot give it in cash," he added.

This experience raised several questions in the young man who began to question and wrote: “Why do we have to wait so long to restore the pension of a person who was robbed due to the mistake of an outdated metal box? What does he live on for 45 days and what about the other people who have suffered from the same mistake?”

Similarly, he reflected on survival in a country where the economy is in a state of significant deterioration and people live in a constant state of discontent.

"Now in Cuba, ATMs don't dispense money. They are now automated to steal it, the miserable gratitude after so many years of work and dedication, and then going through a whole bureaucratic process (the curse that never ends in this country, which only seeks to wear us down as human beings if we can still consider ourselves as such today)," he stated.

While concluding his publication by saying: "We are truly doing very well as a country. It is not the cashier's fault, it is the fault of a system."

The availability of cash is a complex issue in the Cuban reality, especially following government measures that have not helped to eliminate the lack of physical money.

In the city of Santiago de Cuba, huge lines have been reported in front of banks to withdraw cash.

People even spend the night and early morning queuing to access the limited cash available when the bank opens the next day.

The crisis has led to continuous complaints from people, but the government has not been able to find a solution.