My 'Free' Gift to Myself (Only for Customers in Pakistan)

I am out of cash so I go to the ATM machine. I put my card in, punch in my secret code, and then the amount. The machine processes my request, spits out my card, and I hear that whirring sound that precludes the arrival of bank notes. I am expecting the cash to come out at any second, but, as KESC would have it, the electricity gets cut off, and the ATM machine shuts down. It goes completely dead.

So, there I am, standing with no cash, and an ATM machine with no power. I go into the bank, and find out that it is not a bank at all, just a convenient ATM nook in the busy market. A peon finally shows up and then disappears for another ten minutes to go turn on the generator. I wait for a while for the ATM machine to boot up, which it finally does after 15 minutes, and still no cash. I call up my bank and they tell me that the cash amount has been charged to my account. I assure them that I have not been paid, and they tell me to go sign a contest form at my bank's branch.

I go to my bank and sign that contest form. My bank tells me that since I was using an ATM of another bank, I would probably have to wait another 15-20 days for the cash to be reversed into my account.

I go home and order some books for myself from Amazon.com for the same amount that I just lost in the ATM machine. Amazon.com tells me that my books will be delivered within the next 15-20 days.

So, in the next 15-20 days, I will get my books, and also the money back that I used to pay for them, completing the illusion that I got the books for 'free.'

Note to all: This 'scam' can only work in Pakistan and is a product of our prestigious award system also known as load shedding.