When he went to the bank later, he saw that his debit account was overdrawn.

“Why is my balance so low? Or, why do I have a minus balance?” said Mendoza.

Because he used a debit card for this failed purchase, the malfunctioning MetroCard vending machine took funds directly from his account, resulting in a balance too low to cover checks he had already written.

“They bounced because of this matter,” said Mendoza.

To make matters worse, the same thing happened to his wife, and she only realized what had happened when she tried to buy groceries with her debit card, but saw the card had no funds left.

The MTA refunded Mendoza the money the malfunctioning machines took, but that still left him with bank fees for the bounced checks.

“They don't reimburse you for any fees from the bank,” said Mendoza.

NY1 asked the Transit Authority about those fees and a spokesperson said it was not the agency's responsibility if subway riders incurred bank penalties, even if it was the fault of malfunctioning MetroCard machines.

“What happens to these $35 charges that they put on? They don't give you that,” said Mendoza.

Fortunately for Mendoza, his bank forgave his overdraft charges, but he wonders about all the straphangers whose banks aren't so nice.

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