I am livid with the kind of service provided by Maybank.

A couple of days ago, I went to the Maybank branch at Taman Sri Tunas in Bayan Baru, Penang.

I wanted to purchase ASM units that were offered under the Indian Malaysian quota. A female staff member told me that everything had been sold out. I was skeptical but did not pursue it and promptly left.

Yesterday, I read in the papers that Amanah Saham Bhd reports that less than 30% of the units available for Indian Malaysians were taken.

So I went back to the bank to get an explanation. I did not see the lady who attended to me so I approached a male staff member at the counter and enquired again about purchasing ASM units.

‘ Oh! Ini saya tak pasti kalau ada lag i,' he bleated.

I told him what I had read in the papers. For a moment, like a child caught lying, he wasn't sure what to reply.

Another lady officer, by the name of Rozaimah (according to her name tag), jumped in and chimed, ‘ System down-lah .'

Ah! System down! The perennial excuse of the incompetent.

I wasn't giving in. ‘Even if the system is or was down, why was I told all units had been sold out just a couple of days ago?' I demanded.

‘ Saya tak tahu. Kalau you nak, boleh naik atas jumpa En Hamzah. Ada satu lagi orang India macam you pun nak beli, sedang cakap dengan En Hamzah. Pergi jumpa dia lah.'

By this time, I was seething with anger. I knew that if I remained anywhere near the vicinity, I would have hurt someone. So I counted to ten and calmly walked out the bank.

Maybank has seen the last of me but I still need an answer though from someone from Maybank.

As a Malaysian, why was I denied my right to purchase ASM units? I can think of three possible reasons.

1. Maybank staff are ignorant as to how many units were actually sold and how many were still available for sale.

2. Maybank staff are too lazy to go through the hassle of processing my forms.

3. Maybank staff are too racist to ‘serve' an Indian customer.

So which is it?