Cuba: Paying for a Spot in Line to Withdraw Money
At the Banco Metropolitano in Old Havana
The new system is already up and running, but “people still don’t know about it,” said an employee at the Obispo branch in Old Havana.
By Juan Diego Rodriguez (14ymedio)
HAVANA TIMES – One line to the left for the outdoor ATMs; another to the right for the indoor teller windows; and a third line to check balances and make transfers at the machines. Of the crowd waiting this Friday outside branch 308 of Banco Metropolitano, in Old Havana, none of them knew that it is now possible to reserve a spot in line for the ATM through the Ticket app, as the bank has announced on its social media.
Asked about it, an employee confirmed that the system is already working, but “people still don’t know about it.” As of today, in addition to that first branch, located on Obispo Street between Cuba and Aguiar, Banco Metropolitano has added seven other offices with advance reservations through Ticket: branch 262, at Cuba and O’Reilly, and branch 266, at O’Reilly and Compostela, also in Old Havana; branch 247, at 23 and Montero Sánchez, and branch 250, at Línea and Paseo, both in Plaza de la Revolución; and three more in Guanabacoa (280), San Miguel del Padrón (286), and Marianao (313).
However, once the app—previously used for various procedures, especially buying fuel at Havana gas stations—is downloaded, it frequently crashes. After several attempts, Nadia, a resident of El Vedado, was able to get her spot. Each reservation to make a withdrawal costs 10 pesos.
A quick look at Banco Metropolitano’s Telegram page, meanwhile, shows a common complaint among many users: the bank is experiencing “technical problems” and transactions through Transfermóvil aren’t working. “It won’t let me log in, I need to make an urgent transfer, please respond,” “Are transfers down? Does anyone know what’s going on? Wasn’t the system updated just last week?” “How long will the Transfermóvil problem last?” wrote some frustrated customers.
To make matters worse, the bank itself had no internet connection.
None of the complaints received a response, despite the high volume on social media. To address them, the bank also requires people make an appointment through Ticket. “The only difference between reserving a spot for questions and complaints and for any other banking service is that the former is free,” Nadia remarked sarcastically.
How they will coordinate the Ticket reservations with the “traditional” line—which doesn’t seem likely to disappear anytime soon—remains an open question.
First published in Spanish by 14ymedio and translated and posted in Énglish by Havana Times.