Mad rush at all EPF kiosks
Thousands flock to check their accounts after 6% payout
PETALING JAYA: Some 28,000 members of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) visited its kiosks nationwide to retrieve their account statements after the body announced a 6% dividend payout for 2011.
Its public relations general manager Nik Affendi Jaafar said the number of visitors had been ascertained as of 2pm yesterday.
The EPF kiosks normally receive around 17,000 users per day.
Noting that the EPF website was struggling to cope with an unusually high volume of traffic from eager members, he advised members to be patient.
“Try logging in during off-peak hours,” he said.
“We do not limit the amount of time people get to check their statements. The dividends have already been credited into their accounts; the money is there,” he said yesterday.
Nik Affendi said the rush was expected to ease off in the next few days, adding that members could check their statements via EPF’S i-akaun, kiosks or counters.
“Today (Monday) is the first day after our announcement. We appreciate our members’ under-standing and ask for their patience,” he said, pointing out that EPF had around 13 million members.
Engineer Michael Lee, 48, said he was happy about the record dividend, calling it “very welcome”.
“Even if we put our money in fixed deposit, the interest is only around 3.25%, so 6% is very good.”
Manager Andy Tan, 51, said he went to an EPF kiosk but left because there were too many people waiting.
“It’s okay, I’ll check another day. I think the dividend, although welcome, was expected, given that everyone is thinking about elections this year,” he said, adding that EPF should continue to ensure good returns on its investments for its members.
Boutique owner Anisa Othman, 32, said 6% was “not too bad” but added that she expected a higher payout as EPF had said that it had made good investments.