SHE thought she was on to a good deal when she signed up for a discount card programme from a company, supposedly affiliated to a bank.

However, her delight turned to shock when the bank denied any knowledge of the company!

The woman, who only wished to be known as Zuraidah, said she signed up for the discount card in July during a visit to a supermarket.

“I had gone to a supermarket in Behrang for groceries.

As I was leaving, I was approached by a group of people, who had set up a table in front of the entrance,” said the retiree from Bukit Beruntung.

She said the group, comprising four people, were urging customers to sign up for a discount card programme.

They claimed that the card entitled users to discounts of up to 70 per cent on travel packages, hotel rooms and others.

To qualify for the card, one had to invest RM10 in a bond, plus a fee for the card, which amounted to RM199 in total.

“I was interested because it was a good deal. Also, they claimed they were affiliated to a bank.

“I didn’t have enough on me, so I paid RM50 as a deposit. They issued me a receipt and said I could bank in the balance into an account later,” she said.

Zuraidah added that fortunately, she forgot all about the agreement until several months later.

“It was three months later that I remembered that I hadn’t paid the balace, so I called the company.”

The company’s address was in Section 17, Shah Alam. “But no one answered,” she said.

She tried calling the cell phone number given to her by one of the company’s representatives, but there was also no response.

“At this point, I became curious. Why didn’t the company contact me to ask for the balance of the fee?” she asked.

Zuraidah contacted the bank’s headquarters to ask about the programme and was transferred to a customer service executive.

“She said she had no knowledge of any such programme with that company and that she had never heard of it,” said Zuraidah.

She asked the person on the line to check the bank account which she was supposed to bank the money into.

“I was shocked when told that the account was registered under a person named Fauzi, and not a company. Is this normal?” she asked.

Zuraidah said she was relieved that she did not pay the full amount for the programme.

“When they approached me, they asked for my credit card. I’m relieved that I did not give it to them, and did not pay the full amount.

“If this is a legitimate programme, why does the bank not have any knowledge of them?

“I hope the bank will investigate or come up with a clarification on the company’s status,” she said.

The bank was not available for comment.