Maybank

I never liked them. They provide the worse service in town, charge you for every single little thing you need done, charge you for putting your money in their bank, and with all the money collected from all the charges they impose on you, they use it to hire the worse staff with the worse attitude available in Malaysia to serve you. It's one of the most money-sucking bank in Malaysia.

I was forced to open an account with them a few years back when I joined Cathay. The branch that I was asked to go to was the one in Burma Road. When I opened the account, the girl over the counter told me that their new accounts are all passbookless, and gave me just an ATM card. I was really very skeptic about all this. When I asked the girl how would I know about my balance and statement, she told me that I could print it over the ATM.

After I stop working for Cathay and moved to JB, my (then) new company also transfer our pay through Maybank. Leaving me no choice but to keep the account open. (I would've closed the acccount if it weren't for them.)

Having the need for literally NO human contact at all (with any Maybank staff) throughout the two years, I began to find that it ain't that bad after all... until recently.

Somehow, my bank card died on me over the weekend. For some strange reason, I could not access my account at all. After two years, I finally need to talk to a Maybank staff! -*gasp*-

Going to the branch in Old Klang Road yesterday, which I frequent to get my dealings with the ATM done, I spoke to a helping and nice lady over the counter. I thought to myself: "wow, their service has improved!" The lady over the counter - sorry I can't remember her name - was shocked to find that I do not have any bank account number written on my ATM card and it was signed. In a very polite way, she told asked me which branch was the card obtained fom and she then excused herself to speak to someone who is in charge - An older lady.

The older lady freaked out the moment she saw that the card doesn't carry any signature! She began to question me if I was the rightful owner of the card and why did I not sign on the card. She also asked me for the 16-digit bank account number which only a genius would be able to memorize and expect me to read it out to her. Since I can't pull the string of numbers out, she wanted me to go to the ATM and demonstrate to her what I did that the ATM machine rejected my card. As if I was some nut job who doesn't know how to use the ATM! It was after the machine rejected my card again that she asked for my IC and helped me check on what was wrong with the card! Why the fuck can't she jsut help me check it in the first place instead of wasting my time in there?! Is this Maybank's idiotic office policy?! To make fun of the customer and waste more of their precious time before helping them with whatever they needed to get done?! In case you whackos at Maybank don't remember, WE pay your salary! If WE don't put money in your bank, YOU wouldn't have a job now!

After checking, she told me that I've entered my PIN wrong three times and the card has now been barred. Erm.. EXCUSE ME?! I've been using the same PIN number for two years, how can it be wrong?! The best part was, she told me that since I am from Penang, they are not able to help me replace the card unless I go back to the branch where I had the account with. When I told her that the account is in Penang, she went: "Oh... Then why don't you get it replaced when you go back to Penang?" EXCUSE ME?!

Seeing that I was almost about to scream and shout at the old lady, the counter girl suggested to me that I can do whatever withdrawal I needed over the counter and gave me a form and a number.

When it came to my turn, pretending that I didn't know what was wrong with my card, I asked the teller to help me check what was wrong it. She told me that my card has been barred for keying in the wrong pin number. When I told her that it was the right key number all along, she told me that I can get the card replaced just by filling up a form which I can easily get from the counter downstairs.

Okay.. first I was told that I cannot get my card replaced in KL, now I have a teller over the counter telling me that I can get my card replaced?! What the fuck is going on?! Oh, did I mentioned that I was charged RM0.50 for me over-the-counter withdrawal. (First I let them keep my money and now they're charging me for taking it out?!)

Going down to the nice counter lady, I told her that I wanted a form for a replacement card. While passing me the form, she told me that since my card is issued outstation, it might take a very long while before they can verify all information and give me a replacement card. I told her that it's ok, and she told me to go to another counter when I was done filling the form up.

When I got to the counter, I was greeted by a Malay female staff that hissed at me: "Apa mau?!" (Translation: What you want?!) When she saw the form I passed to her, she asked me which branch was I from and I told her, Penang. Suddenly she went: "Sini tak boleh buat. Siapa panggil you mai sini?" (Translation: It cannot be done here, who ask you to come here?) When I told her a teller from upstairs said that it can be done here and asked me to filled up a form, she just kept quiet.

I later learned that apparently, for them to "help" someone from outstation to do this would take up a lot of time and follow-up. In order to NOT get involve in such acts, they tell the person that it cannot be done, so that the person would go bug the bank that they are from.

The moral of this story? NEVER EVER open an account with Maybank. They have rude and unhelpful staff. They charge you for everything. If you're looking for the worse bank in town, this is the one that just MAY fuck you up. (If you haven’t heard of them, their logo is as shown below.)

(Conclusion: Jess did not get his card replaced as the Malay Female Staff told me that it cannot be done. Fuck this fucked up establishment! I'm going to close my account when I go back to Penang!)

- jessism © 05092007 -