Customer Service Review: The Maybank Malfunction

What Happened: On Monday (25th October 2010), Maybank experienced a nationwide system failure. All ATMs and Maybank2U ceased to function, and Maybank2e payroll functions were affected. Some got paid 2 months' salary (only for the extra 1 month to be taken away again, sadly), and some didn't get paid.

The Situation:

• Mistake #1 - I went to the ATM to withdraw money, which I needed seeing as how I only had RM10 in my wallet. The ATMs were not working. I asked the concierge what other options I had to withdraw money. She sent me back to the ATMs to try again.
• Mistake #2 - After I had tried 3 more times at the ATMs, I called the call centre and found out that I can withdraw money over-the-counter (which the concierge failed to mention to me), I waited in a growing line of people. Only 2 out of 6 counters were open. 1 person was served in 15 minutes.
• Mistake #3 - After scanning headlines on Tuesday, I found no mention of the Maybank nationwide system failure. As if it were some kind of dirty secret and ignoring it will make it seem like it never happened.

The Result: I have no idea what happened on Monday. I don't know whose fault it was and what steps Maybank is going to take to stop it from happening again. I no longer have confidence in Maybank to safeguard my money and will have to place my money elsewhere. I can only imagine that other people feel the same way. I mean, we're trusting this system that failed epically to safeguard our money.

The Aftermath:

Number of complaints made - 3.

Follow ups - 2.

Maybank has promised to get their IT people to call me and explain. I think they've missed the point that I tried to make repeatedly, which was that they need to inform their customers or they're going to lose them. Nevertheless, I will be one of a small % of people who will have an explanation about what happened to their system, which I will post here in case people go online to look for it.

Just for fun, a lifetime of firsts

The first time I

• Walked into a new school, I hated it and spent every day pretending I was sick so I could go home.
• Got a job, I was a barely 16, a bit nervous, and wondered if that was the start of the rest of my life.
• Drank, I got absolutely wasted and had to be carried out of the bathroom by my sister and cousin. Fun times.
• Found out my parents were human, a part of me died a little bit.
• Drove a car with a valid driving license, I drove it like I drove a go-kart because that was the only thing I knew how to drive.
• Walked into a university tutorial, I was intimidated. I made up for it by talking too much and making a fool of myself.
• Had to live without my parents, I still knew they were taking care of me and that made me feel completely at home, regardless of where I was.
• Fell in love, I knew it wasn't forever, but I loved every minute of it.
• Felt the fear of possibly losing somebody close to me, it was almost too much to handle.
• Was expecting a nephew, I spent the night on eggshells waiting for the call. When it came, it was incredible.
• Graduated from university, I said goodbye to the only life I'd known and ventured into the new world not knowing what to expect.
• Entered the corporate world, I vowed to be true to my pedigree, climb the corporate ladder quickly and make a name for myself.
• Made friends with my colleagues, they became an integral part of my life.
• Met him, I knew for absolute certain that I could spend the rest of my life with him. And it could have been a love story for the ages.
• Switched jobs, I tried to be better at what I did. I'm still trying.
• Really, truly opened myself up to those that cared about me, they shut me out and closed the door. And I made myself comfortable with what I had.
• Had chicken after going vegetarian, it tasted like disgusting fat.
• Felt really and truly alone, my family stepped up to the plate. They're still here.
• Started this blog, I didn't know what it was going to be or what was going to be on it. Now I do.

The Day That Started Out Well

You know what's incredible? I've discovered that most of the things that I thought were a weird thing that I do is actually something that many people do.

Par example, one day I told someone that I had this thing where if my mum reminded me to do something (this was a while back), I would put it off a bit longer even though I was just going to do it, just to prove that her reminding me wasn't what made me do it. Apparently that happens to other people too.

Then there's the other thing that hasn't changed since I was a kid: a small sign from God in the morning on the way to school/work that the day was going to be a good one. It could be anything, from a favourite song coming up on the radio to the light that's usually red being green to buying your favourite nasi lemak for breakfast. Just a small sign from God, and you start having high hopes for the rest of the day, thinking, "Yes, today is going to be a good one".

For me, though, more often than not the high hopes usually come crashing down. Probably because the expectation was too high, and the day that started out on a high note becomes, well, a day that ends with drinks. Guess I really need to stop expecting so much. But that's a part of life, right? The ups and downs. There's always another day tomorrow.

Introducing Ramadhan

Ramadhan is the 9th month in the Muslim calendar, and to roughly 1.2 billion people, it's a very special and holy month. During this time, they devote themselves to abstinence, prayer and helping the community.

Why? Muslims fast for 3 reasons: (1) To commemorate Moses' and Jesus' 40 days of fasting as an act of cleansing in preparation for receiving the word of God (Source: http://sunatullah.com/puasa/asal-mula-puasasaum.html). (2) To cultivate compassion for others by undergoing the hardship of the poor. During the month, Muslims are encouraged to give and share generously with the community, including donating food for the poor. (3) To encourage patience and abstinence.

How? For Muslims, fasting isn't just about abstaining from food and drink. While fasting, Muslims must be patient and not lose their temper, abstain from intercourse, must not allow any object to enter any orifice of the body (activities for health reasons are exempted, e.g. brushing teeth, visiting the dentist, etc) and are encouraged to perform extra prayers. In doing so, Muslims devote themselves to each other and to God for a month and cleanse themselves of impurities.

Except Muslims are exempted from fasting for various reasons, the first and foremost is health. If, for any reason, fasting will affect your health, then you are forbidden from fasting. For example, pregnant women are not encouraged to fast as it may affect the health of the child. Muslims are also exempted from fasting during travel - as during this time they cannot follow the movements of the sun - and if their occupation is physically laborious. In these events, they will have to replace the days missed at any time before the next Ramadhan.

Effect Physically, psychologically and physiologically, people tend to feel better after fasting. Here's why: http://www.ediscoverislam.com/About-Islam/The-religion-of-Islam/why-do-muslims-fast. Personally, I find that after fasting, I feel much more cleansed and it takes much less to satisfy hunger. I feel lighter, healthier and better able to control my own body and myself. It is both a sense of achievement and a better understanding of myself that comes from more prayer, partial abstinence and patience during trying times.

Others Who Fast Fasting is not restricted to Muslims. Jews fast for 25 hours, and while Christians don't specifically have to fast, they must still abstain from something for 40 days during Lent. The Baha'is have a similar ritual of fasting for 28 days a year. Fasting is also an integral part of the Hindu religion, especially during religious festivals. In all mentioned religions, the aim of the exercise is similar: to commemorate the acts of their religious predecessors, and to purify themselves.

Tired feels different

when you're a kid.