A Malaysian man was shocked after a mall parking machine displayed a RM20,575 fee for less than an hour, leaving netizens amused online.
A routine trip to a shopping mall to escape the heat took an unexpected turn for one Malaysian man after a parking system glitch allegedly showed an eye-watering exit fee of RM20,575 for less than an hour of parking.
In a Facebook group post, the anonymous user shared: “Today, I originally just went to the mall to enjoy the air-conditioning and buy some daily necessities, but what was supposed to be a short, simple trip almost gave me a heart attack.
“Who would have thought that after spending less than an hour inside, I was greeted with a parking fee of RM20,575.00 when I tried to leave?
“When I reached the exit barrier, the moment I saw that shocking number on the screen, my first reaction was that the system must be broken.
“My second thought was whether I had somehow teleported to Dubai. The screen kept displaying ‘Please tap card’, almost like it was mocking my helplessness at that moment.
“Honestly, I was so shocked my hands were shaking, worrying that the card might get swallowed or the barrier might suddenly come down on my car.
“What’s even more ridiculous is that it wasn’t just my machine. I walked around the parking area and found that all exit machines were showing the same issue.
“Every barrier screen displayed the same outrageous amount, and the whole area was in chaos.
“Drivers were looking at each other in confusion, some were complaining loudly, some were taking photos as proof, and others were trying to find staff—but there were barely any management personnel in sight,” the user wrote.
“This kind of system-wide failure is really frustrating. Of course, everyone knows in the end we won’t actually have to pay that amount, but the sudden shock really messes with your mindset.
“Imagine if you were in a rush, or had a crying child with you—how stressful would that be?
“Technical issues are understandable, but where is the mall’s emergency response system? Why wasn’t there immediate announcements or on-site assistance?
“In the end, we could only wait helplessly for the technicians to fix the system. Although it was a false alarm, this RM20K “parking fee” is definitely one of the funniest yet most terrifying jokes of the year,” the post read.
Netizens quickly flooded the comment section, sharing their shock, jokes, and similar experiences after the incident went viral.
One user, Gordon Yap, took a jibe, saying: “These parking machines are really strange. Or rather, instead of saying strange, you could say they are ‘smart’ — even when they malfunction, they don’t show ‘free’ or a cheaper rate. It’s always an insanely high price. Even when they’re ‘broken,’ it still feels like they’re trying to serve the boss.”
“I won’t even dare go shopping anymore unless I’ve got tens of thousands in my pocket,” joked Kent Wan.
