He and his wife managed to send about $2000 in small amounts, such as $100-$200, which was sent to individuals they knew who needed immediate help.
Gumenjuk did not know that what they were doing was against the rules.
Their transfers were halted by their bank, ANZ, which sent them a notice to cease the transfers as using the machine in that way was against the terms and conditions, Gumenjuk said.
Instead, they were told to use direct transfers to bank accounts, not credit cards, which took days and incurred a large fee, he said.
It was important the money went to credit cards, as the same card could be used in Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic, among other countries.
Withdrawing it from bank accounts just added more delays.
The bank was clearly able to get the money over there quickly and cheaply and under the circumstances it should be willing to accommodate, he said.
Even a few more days of being able to send money through the refund method would have made a big difference, he said.
A $150 transfer to a person fleeing Ukraine would pay for a week of food, which was why speed was vital.
"People are losing their lives," he said.
He had resorted to using PayPal to transfer money, but the long delays and the inability to put money directly on to a credit card made it unsuitable for his needs.
An ANZ spokeswoman said the Dunedin branch had contacted the business directly to talk to them about the issue.
Using Eftpos machines was not how money transferred should be performed and was a breach of the terms and conditions.
However, to support those impacted by the crisis in Ukraine, transfer fees were waived for all international money transfer via ANZ Internet Banking and ANZ goMoney to Ukraine.
