boon's log 1407.03: Why is Maybank, Maybank?

Maybank is called Maybank because you MAY or MAY NOT bank with them. That depends... (on what, I am not entirely sure). You can probably check with your nearest Maybank2U branch.

Why do I say that?

Well, with the competitive "banking" market out there and with all the hi-tech facilities provided by many other banks (e.g. Citibank, UOB, etc.), our very own Malayan Banking (which is where they got their short-formed name) tries (and still trying) very hard not to be left out and tries to compete with them. Facilities like that which allows you to pay your loans through an automated machines.

However, the time for the automated cash-deposit machines being in the state of "Out Of Service" is more than the time spent serving the customers. This gets frustrating when it happens to you EVERYTIME, it does not matter which branch you go to. This is what you will see:


This time, you MAY(not)Bank with us...

I mean, I appreciate the effort to TRY to build convenience into their service to their customers, but for goodness' sake, please make sure your machines work! This especially helps for those who do not really have any time to do banking during the day time due to work schedules, and the only time to do their banking is after office hours.

There was this one time we tried 4 different May(or May-not)bank branches to deposit our money, and believe it of not, ALL of the machines in ALL 4 different branches were not working! We tried the
[A] Pulau Tikus branch,
[B] Main branch at Lebuh Union,
[C] Jelutong Branch, and
[D] the Cawangan Perbankan Islam in Georgetown.

Not a single Cash Deposit machine in all those branches were working.

I guess that night it was a May-notBank night. I must have missed a memo...

You can almost hear the bank say to you...

"Please come back another time, when you MAY bank with us, sucker." ...

Anyway, when I was at the last branch, I was quite entertained by another fellow May(orMaynot)bank customer, whom I pretty much guess was frustrated with the banking systems as well. He actually took the time to fill up a form and left it at the counter for others' entertainment...


Weapons Sales?

Incidentally, do you know why are the machines "Out of Service"? I've had a 1st hand experience on this one, too. How "unlucky" can one get?

Anyway, by God's grace, I managed to find a machine that works, one fine night, and the machine started counting my money. Half way through counting, it STOPPED. I was thinking to myself, "This cannot be happening to me! This cannot be happening to..."

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted... The screen gave me the "Out of Service" notice.

"What the...?"

No counting...

No Receipt...

No money returned... (by the way, I had RM1000 in the machine).

At 11:30PM...

Left with a 50-ish year old Security Guard...

What do you do? Pop Quiz! What do you do?!

I was so frustrated (especially after a tiring day at work), I almost wanted to drag the Automated Machine back home (hey, sounds familiar, ain't it? I remember reading about this in the newspaper sometime ago - where a group of people in a 4x4 tied a chain around a ATM and tried pulling it out of the bank. Perhaps they too had the same problem that I did.)

Anyway, there was no number to call, no hotline conveniently listed. After much searching with the guard's help, we finally found a number listed at the small corner of a sticker at one of the ATM machines.

Maybank night immediately became MaynotBank night.

In the end, the bank officer on the end of the line said that she could not do anything but to ask me to return to the bank the next day to retrieve the money.

Frustrating?! You bet!

So, before you head off to your nearest Maybank2U branch, please check with them whether it is a MayBank Day or a MaynotBank Day (dates and times are subjected to changes without prior notice)


boon out...