Charging EZ-Link Convenience Fee is ILLEGAL!

[makapaaa]

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%">Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:49 am Post subject: Giro convenience fee for ez link card a dangerous precedent</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap> </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>"Convenience fee a dangerous precedent"

Letter from Jeffrey Phua 11:10 PM Sep 08, 2009

It was disappointing to read Mr Gregory Gerald Danker's reply ("EZ-Reload:Convenience, peace of mind, Sept 7).

We enjoy the same convenience -- comparing the existing and new Giro facility. No more and no less. When the value falls below the stored value, a deduction is made through our bank account. Simple. So, why do we have to pay a convenience fee of $0.25 for every deduction when we did not have to before? This question was not addressed.

Convenience? It goes both ways. Is it more convenient for EZ-link to go Giro or to have dozens of top-up machines at every MRT station? Imagine the cost EZ-Link saves on machines, manpower and maintenance.

In this age of the Internet, every company offers a discount when the consumer opts to go cashless. The benefits to the company are obvious as mentioned above.

Has this "convenience fee" been approved by the Public Transport Council?

Mr Danker mentioned that "we are unable to comment on the pricing model of other billing organization in providing Giro service." Why? Simply because no other billing organization has even attempted to charge a convenience fee for a Giro transaction. This is a first.

And lastly, this is a dangerous precedent. I pay many of my bills through Giro. If this "convenience fee" goes through, what is to stop other organizations from charging me a convenience fee for every Giro deduction?</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[makapaaa]

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%">Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:10 am Post subject: </TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap> </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>Convenience a misnomer in Cepas-compliant ez-link cards

I WAS shocked to learn that EZ-Link charges 25 cents for every Giro or credit card top-up to its new Cepas-compliant ez-link cards.

In the frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on its website, EZ-Link claims this is to pay bank charges levied against each top-up. This suggests that EZ-Link has kindly absorbed these charges in the many years the old ez-link cards with Giro top-up facility were in use - which works out to almost $100,000 a month, based on the average monthly number of top-up transactions according to the Public Transport Council. I find this hard to believe.

There is also a $2 application fee that EZ-Link has waived for six months. In the same FAQ, this 'convenience' fee is levied for this premium service of Giro top-up, which was previously provided free of charge to encourage a cashless society and reduces expenses from ticketing machines and manned ticketing counters. So does this fee not take us two steps back in our journey towards a cashless society? And does EZ-Link not gain cost savings from fewer transactions at its ticketing machines and counters?

In fact, convenience is a misnomer as it is even more inconvenient to sign up for this service now as you must wait 21 days before your application is approved. Previously, this was done immediately at any add-value machine.

I urge the Consumers Association of Singapore to investigate as this service is provided by a single service provider and there are no alternatives to give choice to consumers.
Ng Jit Cheng</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[GoFlyKiteNow]

This is the starting point..get people to use Giro and
other cashless means.
even banks encourage people to do transactions by internet.

after all got hooked to this method..then this
transaction fee will come in.
at first 25 cents..then slowly it will increase.
1 dollar and so on per transaction.

 

[ahpong]

This is the starting point..get people to use Giro and
other cashless means.
even banks encourage people to do transactions by internet.

after all got hooked to this method..then this
transaction fee will come in.
at first 25 cents..then slowly it will increase.
1 dollar and so on per transaction.

.... and later to "encourage" you to use cashless means, a service sur-charge of $10 will be imposed on over-the-counter transactions.

 

[JinGanKor]

once this pull off, the rest will follow and everything using GIRO will have a "convenience fee".

they just can't stop thinking of how to suck you dry.