How far would you go for Indian food?

The best "home cooked" South Indian food in Malaysia can be found here in Shah Alam. Sree Kasturi's serves superb meals for under 5 bucks. And I dare say better than the usual banana leaf fare we're used to in KL.

The next time you're here, buzz me and I'll take you out for a meal. You'll be stuffed, but you won't regret it.

How to speed up your tax refunds

I just received my tax refund from the Inland Revenue Board (aka income tax / LHDN).

Clincher: in 18 days! That's even better than the publicised commitment of 30 days.

How: e-Filing. Just sign up on their website and you can submit your taxes easily via the web. To encourage citizens to use the web, LHDN is committing to refund all excess tax payments within 14-30 days.

Side note: it's always nice to receive a cheque in the mail box after a weekend of impulsive "buys".

Watercooler gossip

Overheard in the WIP toilet, last Saturday:

Empat belas haribulan, dia orang semua mau gerak. You dengan UMNO atau Keadilan?

Is something BIG brewing in Malaysia this week? One thing is for sure: Anwar Ibrahim is free to contest in a by-election after April 15.

Makkal Sakhti (People Power)

History was created in Malaysia over the last few hours.





For the first time since independence, the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional has been denied a two-third majority. The alternative parties of DAP, Keadilan and PAS have taken over as the ruling state governments of Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan.

While the older generation, including my parents have started to fear the outcome of this swing, I do believe that the young generation is getting what it wanted.

Change is only the beginning.

I do believe that in many cases, we were voting for the lesser of two evils. It's now up to the new elected faces to show us what they are really made of.

To all the elected parliamentary and state legislative candidates, CONGRATULATIONS. I hope you are all able to work together to make this country a better place. Remember: easy come, easy go - we put you there.



Refer to MalaysiaKini for more updates as Malaysia welcomes this new era.

Vote Wisely

I just came across this ad on my Gmail. Someone's taken the trouble create a website, and spend some ad dollars to promote it via Google.



It's a ONE pager. Definitely worth a read. Nothing but facts and figures, with solid references.

http://votewisely.blogspot.com/

KL International Marathon 2008

My running mate (Viki) and I will be taking part in this year's KL Marathon. OK, not the full marathon, but the 10k run. After our 21k in Singapore last December, we've decided to take the path of least resistance. Hopefully we will both dip below the 1-hour mark this time =)

Keen to to join us? It's only RM10 if you sign up by February 28. I believe there may be a free t-shirt too.

Is Tune Card stealing your money? - Update (1)

It turns out that scamboy's missing RM1 isn't due to any Tune Money hiccup. It may however be related to a debit card limitation.



I faced a similar problem with PayPal and my Standard Chartered debit MasterCard recently. Will blog about that soon.

Kudos to the Tune Money team for their quick response to scamboy's enquiry. However, it's a pity that their email support response-time remains unreliable. The current path to a quick response is to email Tengku Zafrul directly (tengkuzafrul@tunemoney.com), but I sense that this feedback loop will have to be improved significantly, and soon!

Standard Chartered stole my money!

UPDATE: Got a call from the bank today (February 11). Turns out that the "chip card fee" is simply the ATM card fee. It is an annual fee, and NOT a one-time fee (that was what they told me over the phone yesterday!) While I understand that the fee is regulated by Bank Negara (capped at RM8), I am disappointed that it was not mentioned / communicated during the card activation process.

Yes, I've just been cheated by Standard Chartered, again. That's a harsh claim to make, but I believe it should stand that way.

My Standard Chartered eSavers account was billed twice for a "chip card fee" amounting to RM8 per transaction (RM16 in total). All this happened, the day before Chinese New Year.

Here are my points of contention:

1) What's up with the fees? Standard Chartered claims to be leading the pack with a savings account without any fees. That's what you see on their banners and billboards. This "chip card fee" is supposedly unlike the typical annual fee for ATM cards, as it is billed only once upon activation. I'll bet my bottom dollar that you won't find this fee advertised on the brochures or terms and conditions on their website. More importantly the bank officers never informed me of this additional fee. Again, it's not the amount that I am questioning but the way this fee has been stolen from my account.



2) Why was I charged twice? This is a serious error caused by your (Standard Chartered) banking infrastructure / systems. If I had not logged in (online) to check my transaction history, I would have missed this critical error. Your customer service officer informed me that this was an error on the part of the bank, and that the case would have to be escalated for a waiver. Another 3-5 working days before this is resolved. Terrible customer experience, don't you think?



I've had just about enough headaches with this free eSavers account. I guess you definitely get monkeys when you pay peanuts.

Standard Chartered, you better buck up if you want your presence felt here in Malaysia. As for now, I'll just stick with the local favourite. Enticing me with a 7% rebate on petrol, and 3x the interest rates just doesn't cut it anymore.

*p/s: It seems as though I've been having some bad luck with financial institutions as of late - is it just me?

• Standard Chartered debit MasterCard headache
• Tune Card stole my money!

Is Tune Card stealing your money?

I just received an alert from scamboy via the comment thread on 10 things I dislike about Tune Card.

It seems that his Tune Card is now mysteriously short of RM1.



I am still awaiting feedback on whether this case is genuine, and similar to the one I faced before. If it is, then this is more than just a one in a million glitch.

If you do have a Tune Card, I would urge you to check your account balance immediately. You could be missing more than just RM1.

Related posts:

• Tune Card stole my money!

Standard Chartered debit MasterCard headache - Update (1)

It took Standard Chartered over 16 days to resolve my disputed debit card transaction.

That's ridiculous considering that the usual process takes between 3-5 working days. While the officer handling my case was polite and patient, I do believe that there were serious miscommunication issues between the customer service team and product managers.

The questions I raised in my last blog post (and letter to the bank) have yet to be answered, but here's what I've gathered thus far:

1) RM100 refund: what is the status of this process, and exactly how long would I have to wait?

16 days. The process usually takes up to 5 business days if you're lucky.

2) Debit card limitations: can debit card transactions be voided? The information I have received from the Customer Service hotline has not been consistent.

Yes. Debit card disputes are treated just like credit card disputes.

3) Customer Service runaround: Why was I given the runaround? Mr.
Kunen indicated that the the fax was only received on Tuesday, the 22nd, when I had sent it 72 hours earlier. I am not aware of whether fax machines are available in most homes, but I had to go to a local copy centre and paid RM1.50 just to have my document faxed.

Still waiting for an official response.

4) Implications to interest earnings: I stand to incur losses to my interest calculation until the refund is made. What is the bank's stand on this matter, and will I be reimbursed?

Supposedly, yes. According to the officer I spoke to, the bank will calculate the interest for the days in question, and credit the interest into my account. Depending on the amount, you're unlikely to be able to decipher whether or not this happens as you won't see it until the end of the following month. It may just be small talk.

Related posts:

• Standard Chartered debit MasterCard headache

TwoSen.com & your two sens worth

Jeff Ooi made a couple of generous mentions of TwoSen.com today. Thanks, Jeff!



TwoSen.com is a project that I am involved with to help raise awareness of current issues in Malaysia. This website keeps track of letters written to the major English newspapers and automatically aggregates them on a daily basis. For now, it pulls letters from The Star, NST, Malay Mail and The Sun.

Suggestions for improvements are always welcome. Drop me a comment or email anytime.

Related links:

• Lemak Lemang: Web extension to Letters to Editors
• Screenshots: Web extension to Letters to Editors

Standard Chartered debit MasterCard headache

My recent letter to Standard Chartered. I'll post updates as it develops.

Dear Standard Chartered,

I am writing with regards to a disputed eSavers debit MasterCard transaction. This email also outlines my experience thus far, as this matter has not been resolved, 10 days after first calling in.

On a recent trip to the local petrol station, I had the unfortunate luck of being there when their outdoor credit card system was offline. I then proceeded to the counter, and asked for a full tank. However, the sales assistant claimed that their indoor credit card system could only charge a fixed amount, instead of the usual credit blocking. She proceeded to charge RM100, and advised me that she would void the transaction if I pumped less.

My bill turned out to be RM94. I got the initial transaction voided, and signed a new sales slip.

I proceeded to call the Customer Service hotline to follow up on the status of the RM100 refund. I called once on the 14th, and again on the 16th. On both these occasions, I was told that the amount would be refunded within 3 to 5 days, as it was a standard procedure for the bank. I was advised to call again if the amount was not refunded by the 18th.

As the amount had not been refunded, I called again on the 19th, and spoke to Mr. Kunen. This time around, I was told that the debit MasterCard did not support voids / refunds, and I was supposed to have received a cash refund on the spot from the merchant. After clarifying my case, I was advised to fax in my voided transaction slip for further investigation. I was specifically told that the case would be
investigated within 3 business days. Despite the inconvenience of having to fax the necessary documents, I managed to do so within an hour of that phone call. I also called the Standard Chartered hotline again to confirm receipt of the document, and the personnel on the line acknowledged this.

Sadly, when I called again on the 22nd, I was told that the documents had just been received, and would take another 3 business days to process from that point. Mind you, this was a Tuesday, over 72 hours since I had faxed the document.

I am extremely disgusted with the runaround thus far. It's been 10 days since the transaction took place.

I would be grateful if Standard Chartered could clarify the following issues:

1) RM100 refund: what is the status of this process, and exactly how long would I have to wait?

2) Debit card limitations: can debit card transactions be voided? The information I have received from the Customer Service hotline has not been consistent.

3) Customer Service runaround: Why was I given the runaround? Mr.
Kunen indicated that the the fax was only received on Tuesday, the 22nd, when I had sent it 72 hours earlier. I am not aware of whether fax machines are available in most homes, but I had to go to a local copy centre and paid RM1.50 just to have my document faxed.

4) Implications to interest earnings: I stand to incur losses to my interest calculation until the refund is made. What is the bank's stand on this matter, and will I be reimbursed?

I had assumed that after consolidating my accounts and switching to Standard Chartered, I would enjoy a superior banking experience. I now hesitate to use the bank's facilities altogether.


Sincerely,

Praveen Rajan

Also read Melissa's recent poor experience with Standard Chartered:

• Melissa Lai: Oh Lordy Lord! I am now a complainer
• Melissa Lai: Poor Customer Experience with Standard Chartered

Lost trust in postal service

My friend, Marina Lynn, recently faced an ordeal with Pos Malaysia. She wrote to the papers, and got her opinion published in The Sun and NST.

Last year ended for me in a most shocking way. It was supposedly the season for receiving and giving but sadly that was destroyed by Pos Malaysia.

What happened?

Read both letters at TwoSen:

• The Sun - Lost trust in postal service
• NST - Lost gifts: No faith in parcel service

Tune Card stole my money! - Update (3)

Issue RESOLVED - 12 days since I first blogged about the missing ringgit.

Tune Money has credited RM1 back into my account. Mind you, they credited this amount, so it's not just a user interface / web issue.


Yesterday I decided to send another reminder, but this time I copied Tengku Zafrul, CEO of Tune Money. Thanks to a little bit of luck, I managed to guess the correct email address.

Within 27 minutes, Tengku Zafrul responded, and got the ball rolling. Just over 12 hours since that email, the issue has been resolved - AND on a Sunday!

The thread below captures our communications over the weekend. Scroll down for a surprise.







And then, to cap it all off they spoil it with a typo-filled email response, from "Custtomer (sic) Service" a.k.a "Portal. Helpdesk":


In summary:

• Number of days to resolve: 12
• Number of public holidays during this period: 2
• Number of emails I had to send: 5
• Number of phone calls I made: Not at 78sen per min!
• Number of hours spent: Countless
• Reason / explanation for screw up: None given

I'm glad this matter has been resolved. To the team that responded, thank you! However, it does raise lots of questions pertaining to the quality and efficiency of the Tune Card / Tune Money service, 45 days since launching in November 2007. I will leave that to your judgment.

Lesson to be learned: If you're on Tune Card, or any other ATM / debit card for that matter, do check your transaction records frequently. In a recent comment, Adrian Oh summarises the impact of how banks can potentially profit out of these hidden scams:


As for me, it's Strike 3. I've taken the Tune Card out of my wallet. On to better things.

Related posts:

• Tune Card stole my money! - Update (2)
• Tune Card stole my money! - Update (1)
• Tune Card stole my money!
• 10 things I dislike about Tune Card

Advertlets.com hijacked - Update (1)

Advertlets is back online. They had an "issue" with their domain name.

I've decided not to put them back on my blog.

Related post: Advertlets.com hijacked

Advertlets.com hijacked

Ranga pointed this out a few minutes ago (thanks "bro").

If you've tried to visit my blog over the last 24 hours, you would probably have been redirected to Adbaaz.com, a notorious advertising network. Unfortunately, this was due to the Advertlets banner that I had running in the sidebar - my apologies!

Turns out that the guys behind Adbaaz have hijacked the Advertlets domain name (advertlets.com) after it expired on January 3, 2008. This is a terrible crisis that could have been avoided for no more than US$10 - that's how much it costs to renew a domain name.

It's strange that this crisis has hit Advertlets. One of the founders, Josh Lim, was the man behind the WhoIsAdamKing.com "coup" in 2002. I guess karma does bite you back in the ass.

I think this may spell the end of Advertlets, especially in terms of reputation; but let's wait for them to give their side of the story.

What you will never see at a 5-star hotel

Spotted at the KL Hilton car park (P1).



The entrance to the hotel is located in the background, just a few meters away.

Welcome to Malaysia!

Tune Card stole my money! - Update (2)

It's been 6 days since my last post and still NO RESPONSE from Tune Money.

My account is still missing RM 1.

What's up?!

Related links:

• Tune Card stole my money! - Update (1)
• Tune Card stole my money!
• 10 things I dislike about Tune Card

Tune Card stole my money! - Update (1)

It's been 3 days since my email to Tune Money regarding a discrepancy in my account balance. I did not receive any response from them, despite the 48-hour commitment.

I then proceeded with a reminder today via email. Received a phone call from their customer service team within 15 minutes (good), followed by another clarification call 15 minutes later.

From Bad to Badder:

• It's going to take 3-5 working days to investigate the case of the missing RM1
• I forgot to include my account number in the initial email (my bad). Perhaps the email experience can be made better by using an online feedback form that automatically sends the username / account number
• The lady over the phone asked me to disclose my account balance when seeking clarification. I didn't, and neither should you

Poor experience thus far. If I were running Tune Money's web experience, I would make sure that we tracked the blogosphere, and responded fast to every viewpoint. Make someone accountable, and track Technorati, Google Blog Search, etc. You need to know what's happening on the ground - for a no-frills Internet-driven debit card, blogs can make or break your reputation.

Strike 2. One more and you're out of my wallet.

Related links:

• Tune Card stole my money!
• 10 things I dislike about Tune Card

Tune Card stole my money!

Here's a screenshot of my balance and transactions over the last 30 days. Can you spot the discrepancy?



Simple math:

• I started with RM50
• They deducted RM9.99 for the annual fee
• Instead of a balance of RM40.01, I only have RM39.01

I haven't used my Tune Card for any purchasing transactions and I don't see anything amounting to RM1 in Tune Card's fees and charges. Perhaps my RM1 is just hiding on Christmas day.



Let's see how they respond to my email. It doesn't help that their standard turnaround time via email is 48 hours, while customer service calls cost a premium charge of RM0.78 per minute (from 7am to 6.59pm).



Note to Tune Money: to conquer online, you have to address me by my name - that's a cardinal rule. Looks like I'm just another customer today.


Related link: 10 things I dislike about Tune Card

10 things I dislike about Tune Card

Dear friendly people of Tune Money,

I just signed up for the Tune Card, after receiving confirmation via your Customer Service team that I can transfer funds from PayPal. Well, I will leave that bit for another time. Here's a review of my experience thus far.

My experience with the application, collection and activation process has been far from perfect. I am sure that this is all part and parcel of "growing up", so here's a list of improvements that I believe will make the experience a more pleasant and memorable one for your new users.

1. Treat first-timers like gold: After clicking Apply Now and acknowledging the T&C, I am taken to a page with login fields. Then I notice the secret passage way for first-time customers. What's up? The average user will always assume that signing up means a fresh application process, irrespective of whether your million-dollar back-end system ties all products to a single username.


Solution: scrap the extra click, and find another way to accommodate existing users.

2. Make your forms smarter: Have you seen it lately? SIX steps, and it's probably the longest forms I've filled since Google thought us all about simplicity goodness.


Granted you are in the business of money, where trust and security is paramount. But then again, why can't you break the norm and simplify or at least make the experience better?

Solutions:

• 6 steps - what are they? Can you tell me up front?
• Tune Money ID - make this the first focus if all applications ride on a single username. Perhaps then it would simplify the task of saving and continuing with my form at my convenience
• Test your form in Firefox - it's broken in some places where Javascript is required. Savvy users won't spread a good word if your forms break
• Hide what is not necessary until it is really needed. E.g. "Tick here if Permanent Address is same as Mailing Address". Perhaps just show me the additional fields if I need it

3. Username & password validation: Gosh, this is worse than the other local banks I am with. And NO, having more conditions for the password isn't going to make it more secure. People will just create the weakest string and write it down on a post-it. Bruce Schneier covers the topic of real world password security. I'd suggest picking up some pointers from him.



4. Security questions: "What is my dream car?" But what if this changes next year when Ferrari gets bought over by Proton? Stick with factual and historical questions. Ask Citibank - they've done a good job with this.



5. Popup madness: Seriously, have you seen how your site works with popups? It's horendous, and the inability to switch back to my main window for reference is a nightmare.



6. Remind me, it's free: I opted to collect my card from the local post office. Why not remind me via email - perhaps once it's ready for collection, or 24 hours before the targeted collection date. Fortunately, I put this down on my Nokia calendar.

7. Make it a real surprise: I would have preferred if I had the chance to open up the envelope myself. Instead, it turns out that the post office clerk has that first right. Supposedly, they have to tear off the bottom half of the confirmation slip. Think about it - most of your users are likely to be first time card holders. Why not give them that great feeling of opening up the envelope, and pulling out their Tune Card - wouldn't that be nice?



8. The little things count: Look at the mess I had to take home. The envelope was ripped because it was glued to the stack of papers inside. Moreover, the fee sheet had to be ripped out. I am sure this is just a minor anomaly, hence a heads up here for your attention.



9. Activation process: Show it to me upon login. The screen below is a few extra unnecessary clicks away.



10. Personalised emails: Just like how your team is pioneering real faces on your ads, why not put a real person behind the email replies and notifications?




I do believe that Tune Card is on to something good and great. Here's to its continued success. In the meantime, I hope it doesn't let me down with the things I want it to do for me =)

Devi's Corner is relocating

If you're a Bangsar fan, then this will be news.



The ever popular Devi's Corner is relocating to the corner lot formerly occupied by the famous Chinese restaurant, Fu-Yu (Cheap Charlie). They are targeting to be operational on January 2, 2008. (I am not sure if this will involve any downtime in the supper supply for the Bangsar clubbers)

Word on the street is that the owner of the block housing the current Devi's Corner intends to sell his entire shop lot. The Fu-Yu lot is supposedly owned by the group behind TMC. (Can anyone confirm this?)

Personally, I feel this new lot is much better suited for Devi's Corner. They will be taking up both floors, and the location is closer to the Telawi central attractions. Also on the same block are 7-Eleven, Kiosk and Telawi's one-and-only DVD shop.

Someone mentioned that Nirwanas should take over the old Castle corner lot to compete with Devi's. But that's just plain bad luck considering how Castle has been bad business for the recent string of tenants. I think Nirwanas will do just fine where they are, and continue to give Devi's a run for their money. And a steady supply of awesome fried bitter gourd.

GENG: possibly the best made-in-Malaysia movie

Check out the trailer of the upcoming 3d animated movie, Geng. You will be impressed.



Click the poster above, or visit this link to view the trailer: http://youtubemalaysia.com/?v=UXuDfMXRd9A

Beyonce = Irreplaceable

Beyonce has canceled her Kuala Lumpur show.

No points for guessing why.

Excerpt from the Yahoo! news feed:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Beyonce Knowles has scrapped plans to stage her first concert in Muslim-majority Malaysia and will instead perform in neighboring Indonesia.

International Creative Management, her Los Angeles-based talent agency, said Knowles' Nov. 1 date in Kuala Lumpur was canceled "due to a scheduling conflict."

The announcement followed recent speculation that Knowles — who is famous for her sexy image and skimpy outfits — was reluctant to fulfill the Malaysian government's demand for female performers to cover up from the top of their chests to their knees, including their shoulders.

Indonesia, also Muslim, has less stringent rules about how performers should dress and behave.

Malaysia is missing out for sad reasons. Beyonce's Irreplaceable lyrics definitely strikes the chord:

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I could have another you in a minute
matter fact he'll be be here in a minute

You must not know about me
You must not know about me
I can have another you by tomorrow
Don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable

Did Maxis rip the idea?

You would have probably noticed the recent string of Maxis Broadband ads. It's appeared in several newspapers as well as their website.

Here's a gist of the ads, screen captured from the Maxis website:





Nice?

Now, have a look at these print ads by Microsoft:







The We See campaign by Microsoft has been around for over a year. In fact, they've even got TV ads to go with it:



("Your Potential, Our Passion": Makes you love Microsoft, doesn't it?)

People "borrow ideas" all the time, so this is NOT a crime. It's just not as original as it seems. (PS: It's time to change)

Pavilion teasers

Random photos taken yesterday. This new shopping mall is stunning -- over 450 retail outlets, lots of walking, and a huge centre court!

Naked mannequins:


Graffitee:

What not to do during the morning rush hour

Dear DBKL, is it really necessary to water the plants during the morning rush hour?

Time to change

It's a different ball game, but the challenge has been good thus far. Don't intend to put on the suit though!

Masterpieces spotted in Bangsar

Have you spotted "Batman Poppins" & the "Hungry Tiger" in Bangsar?

Faulty parking meters strike again!

Just received a comment from Fairuzan, on my previous post. Excerpt:

You know what, i just kena saman yesterday at the same place, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Petak F2. I faced the same problem as you. I inserted coins RM1.50 for 3 hours but it only shows 1:25 (1 hour 25 minutes). At first i thought the coins got stuck or something, then i add some more coins and it still showed 1:25. At 11.40am i kena saman. Will it make any different if i call DBKL or take a video using my phone of the broken parking meter as a proof ?

Fairuzan, hope you get it sorted soon. The system is flawed. We have to stand up to be heard!

Happy Birthday Malaysia!

Malaysia celebrates it's 50th year as a nation today. Independence Day is known as Merdeka in the Malay language.

It's also a long holiday weekend for most of us -- Happy Merdeka everyone!



Photo credit: Eric Teoh

I'm going to start skipping lunch

... to pay my summons!



No warrants yet, thankfully. I wonder if PDRM will be offering discounts again.

In the meantime, you can check to see if you have any outstanding summons via www.MyEG.com.my.

There's a lengthy registration form. Email me directly if you'd like to skip the registration and have me check it for you instead.

Are you ready to vote? - Update (1)

This is a follow up to my previous post: Are you ready to vote?

Melissa got herself registered as a voter last night. It was a a simple 5 minute process at the Bangsar Baru post office. Bravo to Pos Malaysia for the great customer service!

Here's a photo of what the completed registration form looks like. As Mei Chern mentioned earlier, the officer will ask you to state your race and religion:


For those of you that haven't registered, you may want to try doing so at the nearest post office. All you need is your MyKad.

By the way, I would recommend Bangsar Baru's post office -- it's open up to 10pm on weekdays!

Are you ready to vote?

My fellow alumnus from SMTTDI, Mei Chern, has written a solid piece about the need to register as a voter. It's something we should all do to effect positive transitions in Malaysia.

Excerpt:

Voting is not the only thing we can do, but it is something we can and must do to have our say. Don’t be too bothered by 5354 people who see only 1444, but exercise whatever means we have in our control to create a better country.

Also read Kris Khaira's piece: It takes 5 months to process your voting registration form

To check whether you're registered with the Election Commission of Malaysia, just use the online Electors Roll.

One-way traffic

One-way traffic from Jalan Imbi towards Jalan Sultan Ismail from August 11, 2007. I'll take a train on my next visit!



*p/s: thanks for the update, Theresa!

The best cendol in PJ

The best cendol stall in PJ is located on Jalan 17/41A. That's in Section 17, close to the Rothmans roundabout.

Mel took this photo while we were there today.

Can you spot the USB flash drive? We didn't get around to asking the guy what it was for, but word has it that it contains their secret recipe in PDF, Word and OpenOffice!