Touch N’ Go Sdn Bhd recently announced that they will cease after-sales service for the OBU 330 SmartTag and netizens were furious about the company’s decision to stop accepting repairs for a device that has been in the market for more than 10 years. Yes, more than 10 years.
Netizens were quick to criticise Touch N’ Go’s move, citing the OBU 330 is far more reliable than the newer, more compact OBU 530 (I have to agree that this statement is not unfounded) and Touch N’ Go should continue to provide aftersales support so long there are users still using said product. But this to me is a stark example of penny wise, pound foolish.
Sending the OBU 330 for a repair (based on available archives and memory) costs RM50 and takes approximately five weeks before it is returned to you. I just can’t justify wanting to pay 40 per cent of the original retail price on something that costs RM120 brand new and wait another five weeks just so I can re-Live Life in the Fast Lane.
If you think you’re saving that RM70 from buying a brand new SmartTag, remember you have to make time to drop your faulty SmartTag at Touch N’ Go’s office (or Pos Laju it), queue up at card reader lanes for the next five weeks and collect it once it’s done. Not so Smart anymore, eh?
(What’s the Buzz is a collection of personal opinions and experiences from the editorial team of Autobuzz.my)
