Touch ‘n Go cards that can be reloaded directly from the eWallet app will also soon be available.
In a move that has long been overdue, Touch ’n Go has recently announced that it will be removing the 10% surcharge levied when using its services for parking. Additionally, the company will soon be launching Touch ‘n Go cards that can be reloaded directly from the user’s phones through the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app.
Starting first with regards to the parking surcharge changes, the typical 10% surcharge on top of the parking fee when using a Touch ’n Go card will be eliminated by the first quarter of this year. A full 14 months in the making, this news comes ahead of many parking spaces, especially in metropolitan areas, beginning to eschew traditional tickets in favour of contactless alternatives instead.
Speaking to The Star recently, newly-minted group chief executive officer Effendy Shahul Hamid has stated that this move came ahead of customer feedback. “I’m very happy to say that by the end of the first quarter, we’ll take away all parking surcharges. It requires innovation and some sacrifice on our side, but I think it’s the right thing to do,” said Effendy.
Moving onto the other top gripe users had with the company’s services, Touch ’n Go has also plans to introduce a new type of card that can be reloaded directly from the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app. These new cards has been slated to arrive by the end of 2021.
Currently, the only link between the physical card and the eWallet application is through the PayDirect function, which automatically deducts toll charges from the eWallet balance instead of the balance on the linked card. Should there be an insufficient balance in the eWallet however, only then will the fare be deducted from the card’s balance.
Continuing on the topic of customer feedback, Touch ‘n Go is also attempting to address the issue of the 50 sen top up fee when reloading at certain establishments. The company is working to shorten the refund times too, another complaint that has been voiced by many of its users.
Regarding this former matter, Effendy has stated that Touch ‘n Go actually ‘does not receive any of the reload surcharge when cards are reloaded’. Instead, the surcharge ‘has historically been levied by the reload agents to defray the specific cost of providing the reload service’.
“We are working intensely with our agents to move this towards a zero-surcharge model. It is work in progress. Today, some of our agents already do not impose any reload surcharge, like Watsons, Guardian, Caring Pharmacy, Giant and selected Petronas and Shell stations, to name a few,” continued Effendy.
On the topic of the slow refunds meanwhile, Effendy agrees that the current 30 day refund period is too long. As such, Touch n’ Go is ‘shooting for refunds in less than 30 days which will be implemented within the next six months.’
While there are still some minor quibbles to be levied against the company, credit where it is due to Touch ‘n Go for not only listening, but also acting on customer feedback to improve its services for the benefit of its users. Now it just remains to be seen if there are any other companies or services who will follow Touch ‘n Go’s footsteps and listens to its users.
