My ATM experience @ www.adriantai.com

Saturday, 19 April, 2008

My ATM experience
by atai @ 23:17 | Filed under: misc

This one was originally published on http://adriantai.blogspot.com back in 2007. Reproducing it here since I think it does make a nice read.

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Mrs Tai (that is what I call my wife) asked me to help her do some banking on Saturday morning since she had to be in school (she is not the student, in case you need to know).

She handed me her ATM card and a piece of paper with instructions (yes, that’s how bad my memory can be). Very simple task, really - withdraw money and deposit into 2 different accounts.

How difficult can that be, right? It can be very difficult, actually, when you’re confronted with this screen:

Sh1t, which one is withdraw money la…?!?

We forgot Maybank actually remembers your preferred language and Mrs Tai’s preferred language is chinese. And I can’t read or write in Chinese! So how? Press Cancel and wait for her lor…

Cr4p! Actually, it can be a good point because if it is a snatch thief trying to withdraw money, the fella may not even know how to withdraw money. Bad point… When it is a genuine case like mine. I am so helpless… Shy only…

There are 15 comments.

Wow, that would totally suck, I would have hated to be in your situation too. I hope you cleared it out ok.

Comment by Jose — Monday, 5 March, 2007 @ 11:47

You gave me a very good idea on this: crime prevention.

LOL!

I’m thinking of changing my everything to Chinese like my handphone so that when somebody picked up my phone, they can’t operate it. But that assumption is only valid for non-Chinese literates.

Comment by Taiko — Monday, 5 March, 2007 @ 13:35

LOL…. Good one! I better start learning more character so that I could change my ATM and phone interface in Chinese! That’ll screw with the robber’s mind! Hahahaha…

Comment by Dean Arif — Monday, 5 March, 2007 @ 13:53

if the thieves are pros, then chances are, they probably would have memorised by ‘location’… meaning top right button, 2nd button from top left, then finally top right button so something like that.

anyway, to conclude the story, i ended up taking my wife to the atm that night so she could do the transactions…

Comment by adriantai — Monday, 5 March, 2007 @ 18:11

nia…what if the snatch thiefs or robbers are chinese???

by the way, do u have any communication when u were dating your wife? Or she is also well Eng literate? Just curious.

I wanted to know can Eng-ed and Chinese ed gel well.

Comment by vicky — Monday, 5 March, 2007 @ 22:25

I have a bad experience with ATM few years ago when I started to live in The Netherlands. There were 2 ATMs at this bank, one ATM support English and the other only in Dutch. I didn’t realize about it, and I withdraw money from the ATM with Dutch language. I did the transactions (only agak - agak, that time still haven’t pick up dutch language), and I waited for my cash. After half minute waited, the money still not out, and I thought maybe is not successful. I went off to another ATM.

That nite, my hubby checked online and found that I have double withdrawal on the same day.

We made a report with the bank the next day. The officer in charge apologized. Both ATMs should be standardized.

Comment by Seut Leng — Monday, 5 March, 2007 @ 23:49

Vicky:
my gege also chinese ed. And I MalayEd/EngEd. Anyhow, i think atai can understand some canton? If not, he sure is a well bred banana than myself!

Comment by happy4ever — Tuesday, 6 March, 2007 @ 9:08

seut leng, wah… not bad. u ever found out what you did…? i mean, was the money supposed to come out, etc since it stated a double withdrawal?

vicky, if they are they chinese, then it would be interesting. i believe most cases are committed by illegal migrants.

dating my then gf, yes, of coz sure got communication la. but sometimes it is better that way (different education background) coz we have a mutual understanding that since language can be a problem, we agree not to be offended so easily by what the other party says… just assume the fella having problem expressing properly.

just fyi… i can understand cantonese and speak very basic mandarin.

Comment by adriantai — Tuesday, 6 March, 2007 @ 13:36

The sentence ‘ your transactions is on progress…..’ was in dutch. So…. after waited for half minute, I walked off and proceed to another ATM. The money came out but I guessed the person after me took the money. My hubby was wondering how come within 3 mins I have 2 transaction with same amount. Earlier transaction was successful.

Comment by Seut Leng — Tuesday, 6 March, 2007 @ 20:16

hahahhaa….I dunno you man.. dam paiseh..hhahahaa.. guess la…just click click…whats the worst thing that could happen? hehehehe

Comment by Phenom — Thursday, 8 March, 2007 @ 21:56

worst thing that could happen?

i can think of a few things:
1. card gets eaten up
2. see seut leng’s comment.

eh… u talk like you know how to read la…

Comment by adriantai — Thursday, 8 March, 2007 @ 22:50

err.. came across ur blog in tonixe’s page.. hahah.. can’t help to laugh out loud bout this post. hehehhe.. u banana?? me too.. hehe

Comment by Michelle — Monday, 26 March, 2007 @ 15:28