Check Balances And Cash Withdrawals At Link ATMs Subject To Fees Considered Embarrassing, These Consumers Complain To Erick Thohir Urges To Be Canceled

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Consumers Community (KKI) complained about the board of directors of BUMN Bank to the Minister of BUMN Erick Thohir regarding the imposition of fees for balance check and cash withdrawal transactions at the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Link which took effect on June 1, 2021.

As is well known, transactions for checking balances and cash withdrawals use state-owned bank debit cards, namely PT Bank Mandiri Tbk, PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk (BRI), PT Bank Negara Indonesia Tbk (BNI), and PT Bank Tabungan Negara Tbk (BTN), on machines. an automatic teller machine (ATM) Link will incur a fee.

The fees set by the four banks are the same, for balance check transactions of IDR 2,500 and cash withdrawals of IDR 5,000 at different Himbara ATM machines and ATM Link, from originally IDR 0 or free.

Chairman of the Indonesian Consumer Community, David Tobing, said that his party had officially sent a letter to Minister of BUMN Erick Thohir regarding the imposition of fees on balance check and cash withdrawal transactions. Previously, KKI had also reported to the KPPU Himbara's actions as an alleged cartel.

"After previously writing to BPKN RI, OJK and KPPU, KKI sent a letter to the Minister of BUMN, Mr. Erick Thohir, ordering Himbara to cancel the plan to charge balance checks and cash withdrawals at ATM Link," he said, in Jakarta, Thursday, May 27.

David reminded that at the beginning of its formation, this ATM combination was to provide efficiency, where the joint management of ATMs in a switching company by a banking BUMN would save operational costs for banks and save transaction costs for ATM users.

Minister of BUMN, Erick Thohir. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of BUMN)

In December 2015, ATM Link was introduced to the public. The first place was in Block B of the Tanah Abang Wholesale Center, Central Jakarta, by the then BUMN Minister, Rini Soemarno.

"SOE Minister Erick Thohir is very relevant in canceling plans to charge fees for checking balances and cash withdrawals at ATM Link on June 1, 2021. Because, at the time of ATM Link's first launch in 2015, it was carried out by the Minister of BUMN at that time," he said.

According to David, the application of this fee is an unpopular step when the community is struggling to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and many have opposed this plan, including members of the BPK, members of the DPR and the wider community.

"If our report is proven and the BUMN Bank will be punished for committing a cartel then this is very embarrassing, so it is appropriate for the Minister of BUMN to cancel it," said David.

David said he was sure that Erick Thohir would order state-owned banks to cancel the plan to charge cash withdrawals and check balances on June 1 to protect ATM Link customers and the Indonesian public in general, "he said.

Report to KPPU on the alleged cartel

Previously, KKI reported the State Bank Association (Himbara) to the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) regarding the charge for checking balances and cash withdrawals at the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Link. These four state-owned banks charge the same rates for balance checks and cash withdrawals.

David Tobing said that his party had officially sent a report to the KPPU regarding Himbara's actions in charging balance checks and cash withdrawals as an alleged cartel.

Furthermore, David explained that there were several reasons underlying the KKI reporting Himbara to KPPU. First, that the banks in Himbara namely Mandiri, BRI, BTN and BNI have entered into agreements with Competing Business Actors to set prices for goods / services that must be paid by consumers or customers in the relevant market which are the same by charging balance checks and cash withdrawals. for ATM Link Customers dated June 1, 2021.

"We suspect that this action violates Article 5 of Law No. 5 of 1999 concerning Prohibition of Monopolistic Practices and Business Competition," he said, quoted on Tuesday, May 25.

Second, that the determination of the charge for check balances and cash withdrawals to ATM Link Customers on June 1, 2021 is an act of a business actor who makes an agreement with its competing business actor to influence prices which may affect monopolistic practices and / or unfair business competition (Article 11 of Law No. 5 of 1999).

"Finally, currently the public's dependence on ATMs is so great that the charge for checking balances and cash withdrawals is very detrimental to consumers / society and creates unfair business competition," he said.

For these three reasons, David assessed that Himbara's actions were pseudo competition because there was no business competition in serving consumers.

"Business actors should compete with each other to serve consumers, but this actually erodes consumers / society's money," he explained.

KPPU, said David, must firmly stop this Cartel in order to protect ATM Link customers and the Indonesian public in general.