machine not working
By idowrite72
@idowrite72 (2213)
United States
September 14, 2010 12:03pm CST
I have a slight addiction to ice cream. I can eat it anytime of the year and almost any time of the day!! The other day I was on my way to a friend's house, after being at a reunion, and stopped at a roadside rest to use the bathroom. I spotted an ice cream machine and was immediately interested! The ice cream was a bit pricey, but I put my money in and made my selection and then the words "make another selection" flashed across the machine. Before I could decide on another "selection", it was telling me to deposit my money!! I hit the coin return button and got nothing and tried to make another selection and got nothing. SO.....I called the number on the machine. I got a very courteous woman who took my information, apologized to me and said that they would send the money to me. I then decided to be adventurous and took another try........I WANTED THAT ICE CREAM!! Put my money in, made a DIFFERENT selection, saw "make another selection" and immediately pushed another button.......no ice cream. SO I once again hit the change return and this time got HALF the money back that I had put in and in smaller change than I had put in. SO, I called again. Got another nice woman who added this amount to the other and I was on my way. Has anyone else ever had such an experience at a vending machine? What did YOU do about it? If you called for your money back, did you get it?
3 people like this
5 responses
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
14 Sep 10
We had the very same experience with the same kind of ice cream machine a couple of years ago. It was at a rest stop. It took our money not once but twice. We also called the number and told them the machine took our money. We were told we would get our money back in the mail but we never did. I will never use one of those machines again. They are quite a scam.
3 people like this
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
14 Sep 10
Thanks so much for the comment, even if it ISN'T what I wanted to hear. Seems they should be accountable when they have more money than the ice cream they dispensed AND for the dollar I did get back, it was all in dimes. I think someone dug deep for that change!!
1 person likes this
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
14 Sep 10
Not with ice cream, but I've had my issues with vending machines before. In fact, there are a few out here where I work at.
My specific issue is that some machines do not accept paper bills that are in not-so-excellent condition. Just the other day, I put in my $10 bill into a machine because I wanted change to get to another machine. I didn't know that it was hungry and just ate my money. I tried to call the complaint hotline and they just took my name and my contact info. They said somebody would be looking for me when the machine gets 'serviced'. I wonder when that is.
2 people like this
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
14 Sep 10
Geez!! They never mentioned when the machine gets serviced. Didn't think of that and if it had been serviced, there would have still been ice cream in it!! Thanks for your comments............oh, a tip I learned a long time ago. If the bill doesn't seem to want to go into the machine or even old ones, fold it in half length wise and then put it into the machine. Sometimes that works..........more times than not. Thanks again.
1 person likes this
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
14 Sep 10
There is a soda machine just outside the door where I work that never works. When they first put it in, it would work but suddenly it messed up and has never worked again. For a while..every now and again in a desperate moment, I would try it...money stolen everytime. I would report it and get a littleenvelope a couple of weeks later with my change in it. I don't even try anymore..lol.
2 people like this
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
16 Sep 10
I was once responsible for 3 pop machines at work, and seldom had trouble with them being empty OR people losing money from them. The difference between work machines and rest stop, is that there are people at your work responsible forthem on the spot. I think the rest machines are not serviced as they should be. Thanks, Jen, for your comments.
@anurag3786 (6267)
• India
14 Sep 10
I think machine can fails anytime.. so it is not fault of Vender.. but if i give money to him/her.. then i call to return money from him.. because when i don't getting anything then why i give a amount of money.. so i call him to return money..
2 people like this
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
14 Sep 10
I do believe that the machine was empty and probably hadn't been serviced for a while. IF that is the service they provide, then they shouldn't have the machine there in the first place. Thanks for your comments.
1 person likes this
@slashragnarok (137)
• India
15 Sep 10
Hard luck is the only thing I can tell you right now. We've all been there sometime or the other, and it's funny how the machines seem to malfunction when we least expect it to. As for your money, I don't think you'll ever see it again. After all there's no proof that you paid the thing. So why should a manufacturer refund you by word of mouth, unless that manufacturing company is owned by your brother. So don't cry over lost ice cream. Grab another cone. Good luck.
1 person likes this
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
16 Sep 10
Thanks for your comments. I do know that I won't try to buy it that way again. I am hoping that the person who is supposed to service the machines will notice that my money IS sitting there!! I do still have the number and since I don't pay for long distance, I just might call again if I don't get a refund. Thanks again for your comments.
