Reader comes a cropper due to ATM As a matter of general interest, Link, the British cash machine network, has given me the benchmark guidelines that it is hoped manufacturers will refer to. These include stating that a strong, clear typeface should be used. Characters on the keys should contrast well with the background colour. Keys should be at least 15mm wide and 15mm high. To cater for people with "poor discrimination" or tremor, the space between keys centres should be at least 18.2mm. Keys should project at least 1mm above the surrounding surface. Also, as reflective key surfaces can create difficulties for some people with sight impairments, matt surfaces are advised, with lighting arranged to avoid reflection. There is guidance for the function keys; in the case of "cancel" or "return card," it should be red with a raised X. This ATM indeed had a red cancel key with a raised X but you did not recognise it for what it was. The bank said it was very sorry to hear of your recent experience and has contacted you to clarify things. I have too and have not heard back from you. On balance, this sounds to me like a storm in a teacup. Booby prize During the past four weeks my wife has received several notifications from a company selling a health product to the effect that she has won a grand prize of £46,495 and on each occasion, about six, the amount has been "100pc confirmed." We have returned acknowledgements of these "notifications" to the company but have not received replies except more notifications, which of course include an invitation to buy something from their enclosed literature, but also a statement that one doesn't have to buy something in order to receive their prize. I have written to members of the company and received no reply. When using their telephone number it seems that no contact is possible with a person. Maybe it is an excuse for making money from very long and useless telephone calls on that sort of number. I have also written to the managing director but received only this useless reply: "By returning your entry form within the 'specified time frame' your participation in the game is indeed registered ... In the hope that we have responded adequately to your question and can count on your soon [sic] one of our grand winners, we send you most cordial regards. DS West Yorks The National Lottery slogan reminds would-be entrants that "You have to be in it to win it." When you received streams of paperwork from a company you knew nothing about it seems that the optimist in you took over from common sense. The paperwork declared "prize allocation notification following the selection ... as WINNER." Then came a warning that "unclaimed prizes or prizes claimed outside the specified time frame will indefinitely be lost by the grand winner." It went on: "If you have received this DOCUMENT, you MUST retain it as it IRREVOCABLY proves that you are indeed eligible to receive the two cheques for £21,639." This has all the bombast of a Victorian showman teasing up visions of impossible dreams. You tried desperately to reach the "organisers," ringing and writing in. When that failed you approached the Financial Ombudsman Service, which pointed out that this was not a regulated business. It is a pity you don't have a computer or access to one. Had you put the name of the company causing you this disquiet into a search engine, you would have found it mentioned disparagingly on internet forums. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) faces an uncertain future and no longer pursues such matters. However, the legal director at the OFT has previously said that in October 2012 "there was an important ruling by the European Court of Justice ... which confirms the OFT position that the prizes must be genuine and not involve people being hit with additional costs to find out what they have won, or to claim it, or take possession of it." These days people with any concerns about a prize they are told they have won but are dubious about can contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 040506. This line can only give advice, however.