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May 18, 2022 10:45 AM
PETALING JAYA: A consumer advocacy group has denounced property developers who require house buyers to sign an agreement to prevent them from speaking about defects in construction that are remedied during the defective liability period (DLP).

National House Buyers Association secretary-general Chang Kim Loong told FMT he was concerned that “rogue developers” were trying to silence purchasers through the non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

“House buyers who sign the NDA would be exposed to potential legal action if they share with others details of the defects in their properties,” he said.

“This must be stopped.”
He advised house buyers against signing such an agreement.

A Klang Valley resident recently claimed to have signed an NDA following repairs made to the unit during the DLP. FMT is withholding the identities of both the developer and the resident.

Lawyer V Rajadevan told FMT: “I don’t see the need for an NDA unless the developer is trying to hide the fact that a claim for liability has been settled or is worried about bad publicity.”

He also said the law recognised the developer’s liability to make repairs during the 24-month DLP, which starts from the date purchasers receive vacant possession of their homes.

“If a developer forces a buyer to sign an NDA as a condition for repairs, then legal action can be taken because it is the developer’s duty to make good the defects during the DLP.”

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TNB: Landlords can change billing to tenant's name during rental period18 Mei 2022
KUALA LUMPUR - Penggunaan pelbagai sumber bahan api dan pemberian subsidi telah membolehkan rakyat Malaysia berterusan menikmati kadar tarif elektrik antara terendah di rantau Asia Tenggara sejak sekian lama, meskipun sektor tenaga sentiasa ditekan oleh pelbagai faktor luaran dan dalaman.

Begitupun kenaikan luar jangka harga bahan api khususnya arang batu dan gas asli sejak penularan Covid-19, mewujudkan tekanan luar biasa sehingga menimbulkan tanda tanya sejauh mana daya tahan tarif elektrik negara.

Ini kerana hampir 93 peratus elektrik di Semenanjung Malaysia dijana menggunakan arang batu serta gas asli, dan pada masa ini harga arang batu dunia melonjak ke paras lebih US$200 setan serta dijangka terus meningkat berikutan krisis Ukraine-Rusia.

Menurut Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), kos penjanaan elektrik termasuk kos bahan api membentuk lebih 65 peratus daripada tarif asas elektrik dan kenaikan harga bahan api fosil, khususnya arang batu, menyebabkan kos penjanaan elektrik negara kini meningkat 4.5 kali ganda.

Dalam kemelut ini, bagi tempoh Februari hingga Jun depan, pengguna domestik di Semenanjung masih dapat menikmati rebat dua sen bagi setiap kilowatt per jam (kWj), manakala surcaj minimum 3.7 sen/kWj dikenakan terhadap pengguna industri dan komersial. Ini dapat dilaksanakan melalui mekanisme Pelepasan Kos Tidak Seimbang (ICPT) yang membolehkan kerajaan melaraskan kos penjanaan dan bahan api setiap enam bulan.

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May 13, 2022 2:10 PM
PETALING JAYA: The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court decision that an undocumented worker has the right to have her case heard by the labour court.

Tenaganita executive director Glorene Das said the decision marked a significant step in ensuring marginalised groups like undocumented migrant workers were able to access justice through the labour department.

“We hope that with this Court of Appeal ruling, the labour department will now have an unequivocal mandate to overcome any devious attempts to use the Immigration Act to override basic human rights,” said Das in a statement.

She said Court of Appeal judge Ravinthran Paramaguru ruled that there is nothing in the Employment Act and in the Employment (Restriction) Act which prevents a worker from approaching the labour court for redress.

“The labour court should not shut its doors against an undocumented worker without allowing her to vent her grievances,” he said.

In August 2018, the Port Klang labour court dismissed a claim by an undocumented worker against her previous employer, Angie Lee, for unpaid wages of over RM30,000. The worker, nicknamed Nona, then appealed against the labour court’s decision.

In 2019, the Shah Alam High Court held that the labour court must hear Nona’s case, but the employer later appealed against the decision.

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The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has urged consumers affected by indiscriminate changes to flight schedules to lodge a complaint with their respective operating airlines.May 13, 2022 @ 9:08pm
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has urged consumers affected by indiscriminate changes to flight schedules to lodge a complaint with their respective operating airlines.

Executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said it was important for consumers to be well informed of their rights as air travellers.

Saripuddin said the airlines customer should be made aware that airlines and other aviation service providers must resolve their complaints within 30 days as outlined in the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC).

"This timeline requirement also applies to various other aviation-related issues, including flight cancellations, mishandled baggage, and others," he said in a statment.

Meanwhile, Saripuddin said if the response provided by the airlines was unsatisfactory or if the matter remained unresolved, the customer should escalate those complaints to Mavcom together with the relevant documentation.

"Since Mavcom's inception in 2016, we received more than 22,000 complaints and feedback from consumers whom we have assisted," he said.

Mavcom stands firm that consumer rights should continuously be upheld by airlines and is well underway with its investigation of flight schedule disruptions by all airlines over the recent festive period.

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05- 12- 2022 09:15 AM
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) must take action against all airline companies that fail to deliver on their promises, said Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason (pix).

He said consumers pay for a service and expect the provider to deliver on it.
“In the current situation, AirAsia passengers are upset that they did not receive the service they were promised.

“This forced them to fork out more money through additional costs such as taking late-night taxis.

“Mavcom must be more aggressive in taking action against all such companies since passengers have been victimised.”

Marimuthu said the response given by the company was not proper, when the problems could have been avoided.

Kuching member of Parliament Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen said the excuses given by AirAsia were unacceptable and Mavcom should hold it accountable, to protect the rights of consumers.

“While safety and security of planes and passengers are of utmost importance, the company should have anticipated this.

“If the airline was aware that it had insufficient planes, it should not have offered all those tickets to be sold to the public.”

Yii said that since the airline knew it could not meet the demand, it should not have allowed the tickets to be sold, causing much inconvenience, delay and even economic loss to the public.

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Mei 8, 2022 @ 4:59pm
PUTRAJAYA: Kerajaan perlu mengambil tindakan tegas kepada pengeluar atau peniaga yang menggunakan taktik 'menjual makanan sunnah' untuk melariskan produk mereka.

Timbalan Setiausaha Agung Gabungan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA), Nur Asyikin Aminuddin, berkata produk seumpama itu perlu dipantau supaya masyarakat tidak terpedaya dengan taktik jualan yang dianggap sebagai 'tunggang agama'.

"Kita harap selepas ini kerajaan dapat ambil tindakan yang lebih tegas supaya perkara seperti ini tidak berulang. Produk seumpama ini memerlukan pemantauan.

"Jika dilihat kini seperti tiada pemantauan yang dilakukan oleh mana-mana pihak berwajib, disebabkan itu berlakunya lambakan produk berkenaan," katanya kepada BH, hari ini.

Muka depan BH sebelum ini melaporkan jualan produk 'makanan sunnah dan penawar' kerana diiringi bacaan doa dan zikir ketika proses pembuatannya masih berleluasa di negara ini walaupun perkara itu jelas bertentangan dengan keputusan Muzakarah Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan.

Malah, produk yang didakwa sebagai keluaran Muslim itu juga dijual dengan harga yang mahal iaitu boleh mencecah RM500 bergantung kepada berat dan pakej beberapa jenis barangan tertentu
Produk berkenaan juga turut dipromosikan menerusi media sosial, aplikasi sembang serta e-dagang secara meluas dalam usaha menarik perhatian pembeli.

Ia bukan sahaja membabitkan pelbagai produk makanan dan minuman, kosmetik dan kesihatan tradisional, malah ada juga produk sedemikian didakwa menyembuhkan atau menghalang gangguan jin dan syaitan.

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May 11, 2022 6:55 pm
KUALA LUMPUR, 11 MEI: Maklumat akaun bank yang digunakan sebagai akaun keldai akan dikongsi oleh Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) dengan semua institusi kewangan supaya pemiliknya disenarai hitam daripada membuka akaun baharu.

Maklumat berkenaan juga akan disenaraikan dalam ‘Portal Semak Mule’ Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial (JSJK) yang boleh diakses melalui https://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule.

Pengarah JSJK Bukit Aman Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din berkata trend jenayah komersil kini menyaksikan akaun keldai semakin berleluasa digunakan oleh penjenayah untuk menerima wang hasil daripada aktiviti penipuan dalam talian dan menerusi media sosial.

“Sepanjang tahun lepas, sebanyak 29,769 akaun bank didapati digunakan sebagai akaun keldai, manakala bagi tahun ini sehingga 10 Mei lepas, sebanyak 1,669 akaun keldai direkodkan.

“Daripada jumlah itu, seramai 12,659 individu ditahan dan dituduh di mahkamah atas pelbagai kesalahan kerana membenarkan akaun bank mereka digunakan untuk aktiviti jenayah,” katanya dalam kenyataan hari ini.

Mohd Kamarudin berkata siasatan polis menunjukkan individu yang membenarkan akaun bank mereka digunakan oleh penjenayah sebenarnya mengetahui bahawa mereka tidak boleh mendedahkan sebarang maklumat akaun kepada mana-mana pihak.

Justeru, beliau menggesa individu atau syarikat yang tidak lagi mempunyai kawalan ke atas akaun bank mereka dan akaun itu digunakan untuk kegiatan menyalahi undang-undang, agar segera menutup akaun berkenaan.

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Fraudsters focus on a victim’s hope, greed and fear. The lure of great deals and large discounts or rewards for a small effort are a means to influence victims. - File picMay 10, 2022 @ 12:10am
LETTERS: Consumers shop online for convenience and savings. However, online shopping poses risks to the consumer.

A Federal Trade Commission of the United States recently reported a steep increase in the number of online scams on social media (e.g Instagram, Facebook and Twitter).

The report highlighted that consumers lost more than US$5.8 million in 2021, a 70 per cent increase from the year before. The most common schemes reported were imposter and online shopping scams.

Malaysia's police reported RM58 million in losses from online shopping scams in 2021.
Most of the losses were through imposter sites duping victims into buying counterfeit goods or making payments to accounts held by syndicates that do not own nor deliver items.

A report by Singapore-based Group-IB, a leading cyber security research firm, highlighted the use of "targeted links" to dupe victims into purchasing goods from imposter sites or as phishing tactics to acquire victim's personally identifiable information (PII), that could be used by crooks to commit identity theft or other fraudulent schemes.

The use of data analytics has been a double-edged sword, which could be used by enforcement personnel and criminals to enhance their modus operandi, which blends elements of digital marketing with typical phishing and spoofing tactics.

Using these methods, criminals could gain instant financial gratification or solicit information which could be monetised through legitimate online platforms or anonymous transactional opportunities on the Dark Web.

It has become common for criminals to pose as representatives of popular brands and use surveys (with promise of rewards at the end) to acquire monies or PII from victims.

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Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi. - Foto NSTPMei 9, 2022 @ 9:04pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Pelanggan syarikat penerbangan yang berdepan kelewatan berhak menuntut pampasan tertakluk kepada beberapa faktor bagi meneruskan perjalanan.

Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, berkata berdasarkan maklumat diperoleh daripada Suruhanjaya Penerbangan Malaysia (MAVCOM), pampasan itu bergantung kepada punca penundaan atau pembatalan yang berlaku.

Katanya, ia merangkumi makanan, panggilan telefon dan akses internet bagi penangguhan selama dua jam atau lebih, penginapan hotel dan pengangkutan untuk penangguhan selama lima jam atau lebih, pembayaran balik secara penuh atau penerbangan alternatif sekiranya penerbangan dibatalkan.

"Bagaimanapun, satu-satunya pengecualian pampasan patut diberikan apabila berlaku keadaan luar biasa yang mendatangkan risiko keselamatan atau cuaca ekstrim yang mana syarikat penerbangan tidak dapat menjangkakannya.

"Justeru, sekiranya pengguna perkhidmatan penerbangan berpendapat tidak mendapat pampasan sewajarnya, boleh kemukakan aduan rasmi kepada syarikat penerbangan sebelum menghubungi MAVCOM," katanya dalam satu ciapan di Twitternya.

Baru-baru ini, viral di media sosial mengenai rungutan pengguna perkhidmatan sebuah syarikat penerbangan tambang rendah yang berdepan masalah kelewatan hingga mengundang masalah kepada mereka.

Alexander berkata, beliau mengambil maklum mengenai rungutan, aduan dan keluhan disuarakan oleh pengguna berhubung kelewatan penerbangan syarikat itu membabitkan pelbagai destinasi dalam negara.

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May 9, 2022 8:30 PM
PETALING JAYA: The price of some brands of cooking oil has gone up by as much as RM10 for a 5kg bottle, says a retailers’ association.

Further increases might be in store, according to the head of the Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Associations of Malaysia.
Its president, Hong Chee Meng, said that a 5kg bottle of “Red Eagle” and “Knife” brand blended cooking oil currently retails at RM45, compared to the price before the Covid-19 pandemic of between RM30 and RM35, China Press reported.

However, an FMT check on online prices showed “Red Eagle” being sold for between RM38 and RM40.
Hong was quoted as saying that the price of “Buruh”, “Seri Murni” and “Saji” brands, which are produced with 100% palm oil, remain below RM30, because of government subsidies.

Among the causes of the increase were the new minimum wage policy, the depreciation of the ringgit, the Russia-Ukraine war, the lack of foreign workers in palm oil estates, and the increase of sea freight costs, he said.

Hong said it was impossible to predict if the price would continue to surge, but hinted at such a possibility.

“Even if the country allows for foreigners to work in oil palm estates, there are still three other factors that could affect the price of the commodity,” he was quoted as saying.

The recent implementation of the new minimum wage could see retailers up their prices to reap a 10% profit, he said.

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