PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong believes that banks should face severe penalties if their epayment services experience downtime or outages without warning consumers in advance. With the rise in popularity of QR codes, ewallets, and other electronic payment methods, he emphasized that it is unacceptable for any bank’s payment system to fail or encounter unexpected downtime.
Dr Wee highlighted the impact of such issues on millions of Malaysians when services are disrupted without prior notice. He shared his views on Facebook, stating that consumers faced significant inconvenience when unable to access their funds or complete transactions due to technical glitches.
His comments were prompted by complaints on social media regarding a recent incident where a Maybank online payment glitch in Shah Alam’s iCity caused inconvenience to many customers who were unable to pay for parking and exit the premises. Reports also mentioned disruptions in services such as the MAE ewallet, leading to difficulties in online banking and ATM withdrawals.
The Ayer Hitam MP emphasized the frustration and inconvenience faced by individuals who rely on electronic payments for day-to-day transactions. He described scenarios where customers struggled to settle bills at restaurants or exit parking lots, causing embarrassment and anger.
Dr Wee called upon the Finance Ministry and Bank Negara Malaysia to enforce strong penalties on banks in order to deter unexpected downtime and improve service quality. He urged regulators to hold banks accountable for any disruptions and ensure that they provide reliable services to consumers.
Addressing the issue of planned maintenance downtime, he stressed the importance of proper regulation and management to minimize inconvenience for the public. By implementing stricter guidelines, he believes that banks can avoid unnecessary disruptions and provide a more seamless experience for customers.
