Maybank's decision to impose a fee for its online services is unjustifiable and truly unfair.

The bank should realise that every customer that relies on online and phone banking is one customer less to be attended to by their bank tellers at the walk-in branches.

An increasing number of customers using online and phone banking services will increase the possibillity if the bank to one day have smaller branches (or even none) and of course, fewer employees. In addition to this, every online statement requested is one less paper statement for bank has to print and mail out.

What this means is that by encouraging online and phone banking, the bank will reduce its costs. In the US, ATM access, online banking, phone access and e-billing are all free. Most banks there only charge for ATM use by a non-cleint.

The main factors there for the banks' progressive stance are, I believe, competent management, creative thinking and competition. I also believe that all three factors are alien to Malaysian banks which result in them mistreating their customers.

One of the ways the American banks were able to lower the costs was to outsource their setup and maintenance of online banking services. It is also common for a number of banks to share the same IT company that maintains their online banking system.

The banks are thus able to lower their costs because the IT company is doing what they do best and concentrate all their effort on the job. Together with competition from other IT companies, the result is higher efficiency, better service for the end user at lower costs for the banks.