Reflections: Abuse by Misuse Syndrome

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My story today is a snippet of a conversation I had with Sarah. She has a credit card and internet banking facilities which she will not use. I call it the ‘Abuse by Misuse Syndrome’.  The conversation took place inside her car.

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“So, Sarah, where are we going?”

“I want to go to the bank. Not the one in Bangsar. I have to put a cheque in to pay my rent.”

“Why not the one in Bangsar?”

“There’s always a traffic jam there.”

“Never mind. I can wait in the car while you go.”

“No need. Those traffic police are always there. I’ve already got one summons. Also, the machine is always spoilt.”

“Hmmm … OK. There’s another one I know. Turn left at the traffic light and go along Jalan University.”

“Where is this branch?”

“Somewhere in Damansara Heights. I cannot remember the name of the road.”

“OK.”

“Sarah, why don’t you use the internet to pay your rent?”

“I don’t like to use my card.”

“I’m not talking about the card. By the way, have you even used it since you got it two years ago? I’m talking about the net. It will make your life so much easier.”

“I’m too scared.”

“Scared of what? Turn right at the next traffic light and then take the Damansara exit.”

“The internet is not safe. People will hack into the account and take all my money. It’s like those people who steal the info on your credit card when you fill up with petrol and then, ‘Boom’, next day, there’s no money in your account. That’s why I always pay by cash.”

“Don’t be silly. If someone has cloned your credit card, you inform the bank and they’ll help you. It’s happened to me before. You just have to put a limit on your card so that in one day, there’s a maximum that you can use on the card. With the internet, things are even easier. You don’t have to go anywhere. Just transfer your rent to your landlord’s account. I do it all the time. I pay my yoga teacher, telephone and electricity bill using online banking. You won’t have to worry about traffic jams and police summoning you.”

“I don’t like the internet. My boss also lost a lot of money.”

“What?”

“He had to pay his landlord and transfer the money to his landlord’s account. Only, his landlord and his driver have the same name. So, when he punched in the numbers, he put the wrong account number and the money went into the driver’s account. But the bank was very bad to my boss.”

“Huh? Why?”

“The bank would not return my boss’s money. Now where?”

“Go straight at the traffic lights. Then, up the hill. The bank is not going to return the money. It’s your boss’s fault. Not the bank’s.”

“But it’s wrong. The bank should ask the driver to return the money. If it’s the bank’s mistake, they will return the money. But, just because it’s my boss’s they won’t. That’s wrong. At least they should ask the driver to return the money.”

“No. Think about it, Sarah. I know I wouldn’t like it if another bank wrote to my bank and asked my bank to take money out of my account to give to someone else. Would you?”

“Yes, but if the money came wrongly to your account, would you return it?”

“I probably would because I know the money is not mine. But, not everyone is honest.”

“But the bank knows that it’s a mistake. They must return my boss’s money. That’s why I don’t like banks. I don’t trust them.”

“Oi, Sarah, just because the bank won’t return your boss’s money doesn’t mean everything in the bank is bad. Having internet facilities has made my life so easy. Your boss could have made the same mistake if he took a cheque, went to the bank and deposited the cheque into the machine. He could still have punched the wrong numbers. Like now. If you punch in the wrong numbers, your rent will go to someone else.”

“I don’t care. I still want to do it the old fashioned way. Anything is better than the internet. At least this way, I know that no one can hack into my account. Don’t laugh at me. Where’s the bank?”

“There. Can you see it on the right?”

“Don’t laugh at me. Oh my God. There’s so much parking here. I’m going to come here every time to pay my rent.”