M’sian Warns Others After Nearly Getting Charged RM1,469 for RM5 Parking Due to System Glitch

A Malaysian man received the shock of his life when he was almost charged RM1,469 for a few hours of parking in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The man, Pak Meon, took to his Facebook page to warn the general public to verify the amount stated on the payment terminal before tapping their cards after he almost paid the staggering 4-figure sum for parking that was supposed to be RM5.

Malaysian man shocked to be charged RM1,469 for a few hours of parking after a system glitch

He wrote, “A majority of parking lots in Kota Kinabalu have become sophisticated. Mall parking, hotels, they mostly use this technology, which reads the car’s number plate, and you only make payment when exiting. But, you have to be careful.”

Pak Meon went into further detail about the incident,

“At first, it scanned my number plate, and the payment was RM5 only. Just as I was about to tap my card, the amount suddenly changed to RM1,469. Wow. I was stunned. Why was the parking amount suddenly over a thousand? I only parked for a few hours.”

Thankfully, he noticed the amount before tapping his card and reversed his car back into the parking lot.

There was more trouble

Pak Meon then decided to try the next exit terminal, but it couldn’t scan his number plate, so he ended up using the intercom system to speak to the management team, who told him to wait there for someone to assist him.

This image is for illustration purposes only.

While waiting, Pak Meon tried the first exit terminal again. This time, it correctly displayed the RM5 fee, so he quickly tapped his card to exit the parking lot.

Pak Meon stated, “I don’t know if the parking guard came or not. If they came, I don’t know if they’re angry or not. I hope they check the system and are not upset. Or if not, they can check the CCTV footage.”

“The conclusion is to be careful with tapping your card when you are making payments. This isn’t just a case of parking; it’s for everywhere and every counter, don’t just play around with tapping and scanning for payments. Make sure you look at the amount stated on the terminal or card machine,” he added.

He ended his post by emphasising that the general public should verify the amount before tapping their cards or scanning QRs, even if those working at counters refuse to show the amount. This is because even mistakenly adding a zero to the end of a payment amount can be significant.

What do you think about this? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Also read: PDRM Officer Left Baffled After M’sian Woman Installs App to Buy Kuih & Loses RM5,000 to Scammers