The digital age has brought about numerous conveniences, but occasionally, technology has a surprise in store—one that isn’t always pleasant.
Imagine waking up to find over RM400 million (or SGD$115 million) parked in your bank account, thinking you hit the jackpot, only to discover it’s a glitch. This was the unexpected experience of Ms Hafidzah Abdullah, director, and co-founder of Malaysia HR Forum, according to The Straits Times.
The Glitch Unveiled
In a LinkedIn post on Nov 29, Ms Abdullah shared her bewildering encounter with Maybank’s glitch. The glitch not only deposited an astronomical sum of RM 404,040,404.04 (or SGD$115,425,979.80) into her account overnight but also triggered a series of events that made her question the bank’s customer service practices.
Maybank’s immediate response to the glitch was to block Ms Abdullah’s account, leaving her in the dark. With no calls, messages, or notifications, she found herself on a perplexing journey to regain access.
Taking matters into her own hands, she personally visited the nearest Maybank branch to unblock her account, a process that proved to be both time-consuming and frustrating.
As if the glitch wasn’t enough, Ms Abdullah narrated three days of enduring “Maybank glitches during salary payout.”
Her personal account blocked, the company account rendered unusable, and a daily exercise routine consisting of visits to Maybank branches became her new normal.
Money Can’t Buy Happiness, But Frustration?
In her sarcastic commentary, Ms Abdullah highlighted Maybank’s role in transforming a simple glitch into a prolonged inconvenience. “Talk about a glitch that takes work ethic and customer service to a whole new level of inconvenience!” she exclaimed, emphasizing the irony that money supposedly can’t buy happiness, but Maybank knew how to buy frustration.
Maybank’s Response
Maybank’s executive vice-president, Shaikh Munir Ahmad, responded to Ms Abdullah’s LinkedIn post, promising to resolve the issue. While directing her to the bank’s customer care team, he expressed a commitment to checking and resolving the matter promptly.
Despite the assurance, reaching Maybank’s customer service proved to be a challenge. Ms Abdullah’s struggle involved multiple branches and prolonged wait times, amplifying the frustration caused by the glitch.
The incident, according to Ms Abdullah, took the impact on work ethic and customer service to unprecedented heights. Maybank’s glitches during salary payout turned routine banking activities into an unexpected exercise, disrupting the normal flow of business and personal financial transactions of Ms Abdullah.