ATM Roulette

Nathan Road Many Hong Kongers could use remedial lessons in ATM operation.

Annoyances especially rankle when queues for the machines become long, such as during rush hour.

The trick is finding the shortest line with the fewest number of boneheads. Here's a brief list of offenders:

The Tag Team

This can be a couple or a pair of friends. When they queue, they split, each entering a separate line. When one reaches the machine ahead of the other, the other will join his friend. When the first finishes his transaction, the second will then perform his transaction, ahead of everyone else in the queue.

I'm constantly amazed that folks in this town accept this form of queue-jumping.

The Financial Wizard

I have nothing against someone who has to make several deposits, but I can't stand getting stuck behind a guy who tries to operate the ATM like it was a pinball machine.

A comedian once nailed this irritant down cold: Don't you hate being behind some genius in the line at the ATM as he tries to pull off some complicated financial transaction? 'Uh, man, could you hurry it up? I need my insulin money.'

The Nosy Nate

When I'm entering my PIN, I take extra caution to cover the keypad with my wallet. No one can see the numbers I punch. When checking my balance, I use my wallet to shield the display from prying eyes.

But some people are so impatient, they lean around to monitor the transaction, so they can estimate the amount of time it will take before they get to use the machine.

This irks me to no end. The last time someone did this, I turned around and stared at him until he stopped invading my privacy.

The Disbeliever

Dude, when the ATM tells you that you don't have any funds in your account, and that you can't withdraw, don't cancel the transaction, do it all over again, then stand there muttering to yourself as you contemplate what went horribly wrong with your finances.

Trying again a third time is grounds for a beating.

These offenders exist in every busy city, but I hadn't encountered the Tag Team or the Nosy Nate until I moved here.

Do people pull this crap in Vancouver, Toronto, New York and San Francisco?