Article
Peace, love... and chaos
Two deployers took ATMs on the road to Woodstock '99. It was a long, strange (and not very profitable) trip
At the original Woodstock music festival in 1969, where nude sunbathing and skinny dipping were popular activities, many attendees had free love on their minds.
Thirty years later, a more cynical group of festival goers just wanted to get their hands on some free cash during looting that occurred during Woodstock '99's final hours on July 25.
Published reports indicate that several hundred people, using "peace candles" that were passed out by volunteers, set a series of fires, then began destroying light stands, speaker towers, food trailers and virtually everything else in their path -- including ATMs. After about an hour, New York State Police troopers in riot gear arrived and got the crowd under control.
The only possible motive was hinted at in Associated Press reports from the scene in which looters said their rampage resulted from frustration over high prices for food and other necessities. Canned soft drinks reportedly sold for $4 each and 25-pound bags of ice were priced at $17.
Although final losses have not yet been tallied, Doug Falcone of Access To Money, one of two companies that provided ATMs for Woodstock '99 in Rome, N.Y., said he lost several machines and up to $30,000 in cash.
While Falcone said he expected to incur some damages "because of the nature of the event and the crowds," he was shocked at the extent of the vandalism. "When these machines finally came back, you'd be hard pressed to tell they were ATMs."
Access To Money, a Chatham, N.J.-based ISO that manages about 400 machines nationwide, partnered with Flash Cash ATM Services of Barrington, Ill., after Falcone met Michael Deutsch of Flash Cash at a seminar held by Lynk Systems. Deutsch had never deployed mobile ATMs, but he'd always wanted to try it. He sought a partner with experience and Falcone, whose company had been deploying mobile ATMs for about nine months, fit the bill.
Falcone said he was initially reluctant because deploying mobile ATMs always presents special challenges. "Any time you go on the road, it's much more difficult to control."
But after "getting out a pencil and doing the math," Falcone agreed to team with Deutsch. Triton supplied 12 new 9600 ATMs, and Lynk signed on to provide money management and processing during the three-day event. Three tents were set up, each outfitted with four machines.
The ATMs were plagued by logistical problems even before festival goers began venting their angst. Plans to use wireless telecommunications (CDPD) fell through because the necessary cellular coverage wasn't available, and standard phone lines had to be installed.
"At one point, we never had more than 10 machines running because phone lines were constantly being re-attached," Falcone said. "Some phone lines were cut; we don't know whether trucks ran over them or whether they were actually vandalized."
Periodic power outages knocked the machines offline, and getting cash to them was a major hassle. "Sometimes the armored cars couldn't get through the crowds, and vault cash wasn't there when it should have been," Falcone said.
Yet the ATMs seemed to be warmly received by some 200,000 festival goers, despite a $3.50 charge to withdraw cash. "When we'd get there to vault them at 7 a.m., there would be hundreds of people lined up waiting to use them," Falcone said. "We'd get cheers when the armored cars pulled up."
Deutsch and another distributor were on hand at all times and were able to deal with problems -- until the fires started. "I started seeing little fires off in the distance, then they just kept getting closer and closer. It was kind of surreal," Deutsch said.
Until police arrived, crowds battered the ATMs with tent spikes and even hoisted them above their heads and hurled them to the ground in an attempt to get at the cash. Deutsch was amazed at how well the machines, which were all business hours security rather than UL 291, withstood the abuse.
"Kudos to Triton. (The crowd) totaled seven machines, but they only got cash out of one or two," he said. One machine was carried off and is still missing; police are searching for it.
The New York State Police took the unusual step of posting photographs of rioters on its Web site and asking the public for help in identifying the lawbreakers. One of the 14 photographs shows two young people trying to break into an overturned and badly battered ATM.
However, the Associated Press and other media outlets are protesting the unauthorized use of the copyrighted photos. Despite a cease-and-desist order from the AP, a police lawyer said federal law allows the use of copyrighted material without permission for "non-profit educational purposes." Police claim they have already received 40 e-mail messages about Woodstock '99.
Fortunately, Falcone said, it appears as if his insurance policy will cover most of the damage. He had his agent create a provision especially for Woodstock '99 prior to the event. Noting that he will have to cover some costs himself, including paying for damaged tents, he urged all ATM deployers to read insurance policies carefully.
Apparently not all vendors were so lucky. According to a report published in the Ottawa Citizen, a Canadian man who sold candles at the festival plans to join 50 other vendors in a civil suit against event organizers. Greg Brayford, co-owner of the Doozy Candle Company, is seeking compensation of at least $51,000. Brayford told an Ottawa Citizen reporter he feared for his life during the riot.
Deutsch chalked it up as an educational experience, albeit one with some tough lessons. "Education isn't free. You pay for it, one way or another," he said. "A major event like this is obviously a lot different than doing a little neighborhood fair."
His frightening experience with an out-of-control crowd hasn't dampened Deutsch's enthusiasm for the ATM business. "It was rough, but we gained some notoriety by being able to pull off a major festival like this," he said, adding that event organizers "had nothing but good things to say about us."
Both men plan to deploy mobile ATMs in the future. "We try to go into these ventures not hanging everything on one event," Falcone said. "We've got what we consider a good system, but we're still in the learning curve."
Showing a still intact sense of humor, Falcone suggested that maybe he could find a way to make a buck with the destroyed ATMs. "If anybody wants to buy some ATM carnage from Woodstock, I've got a big pile in my office."
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