Recently, I (and I suppose thousands other HSBC Bank current account holders) received a letter from its manager of services disallowing customers from personally collecting their chequebooks from the bank's branches.

Instead, all chequebooks are to be courier/mailed to the account holders for a fixed handling charge of RM5 per delivery.

As a long-time customer of the bank (over 20 years) I am disgusted and disappointed with the new ruling. The bank, in its letter, claimed the ruling as part of an ongoing effort to serve the customer better.

How can that be? Why the RM5 charge? Isn't it cheaper and safer for the customer to personally collect the chequebooks? In my case, I only need to pay the parking fee of RM0.60 every time I go to the bank.

What happens if the recipient is not around when the mailman calls? Through experience he/she will then have to personally collect the mail at the post office. Doesn't this create more problems for the customer while the bank in the meantime adds thousands of dollars to its coffers?

The customer should be given a choice whether to personally collect the cheque at the bank or have the bank mail it; it should not forcibly shove the new ruling down the customer's throat.