ATLANTA, Ga. — What do you do if you go to an ATM for cash, the money is taken from your account but never distributed to you?

Carla Robinson was supposed to make a simple run to the Wells Fargo ATM for cash. The ATM, which is a stand-alone machine not attached to a bank branch, returned her debit car and issued her a receipt for the $550 withdrawal, but never gave her the money.

“You can hear the money clicking, click click click, and I’m literally pushing the door. Like it’s not opening,” Robinson said. “I’m in tears literally because I have a mortgage due, a light bill due. I have everything that is due.”

What seems like it should be a simple fix to get her money back turned out to be anything but. Robinson spent weeks calling the bank and visiting her local branch trying to get the bank to refund her money.

“I provided a receipt, I wrote a letter that described me from head to toe, the car I was in the time, the van that pulled up behind me. Everything,” she said.

Robinson didn’t give up. She’s not sure what did the trick, but said the money finally popped up in her account.

“Everything that I went through, it was very, very stressful,” she said.

If something similar happens to you, file a claim with the bank right away so it knows you tried to tackle the problem as quickly as possible. Under Georgia law, the bank has to investigate a possible ATM mistake within 10 days.

You’re also advised to try to use ATMs attached to bank branches.