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3 Jun 2020 10:59AM

FORUM Air Malaysia has received many complaints on bill hikes based on approximated calculation made by water supply operators.

Water bills more than double and some were up to 10 times as high for May as it comprised March and April bill adjustments.
In some cases, it was reported that customers who previously received bills around RM20 a month now received bills upwards of RM90 or even exceeding RM100.

Furthermore, many consumers in Selangor with monthly income of RM4,001 and above did not realise that they were not eligible for the 20 cubic meters of free water since March 1.

Based on the complaints received, account holders are burdened with this additional water charges.

The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) said generally, domestic consumers use more water than usual during the movement control order (MCO) as there are more daily activities at home.

Billing issues highlighted extensively through complaints in social media are not only due to bill estimations by Air Selangor but also seen in Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Johor.

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21/05/2020 05:36 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 -- The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) calls on the government to quickly review the price control list for essential food items during this year’s festive seasons and to add a more comprehensive list of items. 

In a statement today, its president, Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said the price control list released by the government is limited to only certain items relating to chicken, eggs, beef, coconut milk and shaven coconut, which is not enough especially with an important festive season such as Hari Raya coming up.

“Fish has not been included; it is one of the items that the price has gone up substantially during the Movement Control Order (MCO). 

“Vegetables such as cabbages, potatoes, onions, garlic, chilies too are essential food items that have not been included, which the prices of some of these items have sharply risen.

“A way of helping consumers is for the government to have an extensive price control list so that many of the essential items would be affordable and sellers will not take advantage of the festive season to hike prices to make excessive profits,” he said.

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May 14, 2020 @ 5:28pm

KUALA LUMPUR: The sharp increase in online purchases of electrical appliances since the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18 has caused some concern as some electrical equipment do not have the SIRIM-ST approval logo.

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) described electrical appliances without the SIRIM-ST logo as dangerous to consumers because they were like a time bomb and could cause short circuits any time.

"This is because these goods have not been subjected to durability and safety tests in accordance with national safety standards," Fomca said in a statement today.

Fomca reminded customers to check for the SIRIM-ST logo on the electrical appliance and its connecting wires before purchasing.

"There was a panic-buying trend for air-fryers when the MCO came into force, which led to almost every house having one or two air-fryers.

"This is not only for air-fryers, but electrical appliances to bake cakes and cookies have also become a necessity for those who are now working from home," said Fomca.

Fomca said in 2018 it was found that 58 per cent of electrical appliances did not have the SIRIM-ST approval logo.

Sumber-— Bernama

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/05/592563/beware-electrical-appliances-without-sirim-st-logo

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May 14, 2020 08:27 MYT

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) has received complaints that some pawnshops are pressuring people who are not so familiar with the moratorium by imposing charges even during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) period. FOMCA chief operating officer Saravanan Thambirajah urged the Housing and Local Government Ministry to monitor the pawnshops that were charging consumers. He said the Malaysia Pawnbrokers Association had previously informed that charges should not be imposed for three months, namely from March 18 to May 12.

“FOMCA has received complaints from consumers who have pawned their jewellery and have been told to pay charges up to nine months. Therefore, the ministry has to monitor all these pawnshops. "The ministry should take the initiative to assist the people. FOMCA hopes appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights of consumers against bullying simply because they are from low-income groups,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Saravanan said the ministry also gave the people the opportunity to report their predicament via social media or using WhatsApp by sending pictures and information of the pawnbroker involved.

-- BERNAMA

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Bernama - Wikipedia1 MEI 2020 | JUMAAT

Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) menasihatkan orang ramai agar berhati-hati dengan kegiatan scammer yang cuba memperdayakan pengguna dengan mencipta laman sosial dan laman sesawang yang mirip milik agensi kerajaan dan pihak bank.

Ketua Pegawai Operasi FOMCA, T Saravanan berkata, scammer berkenaan menggunakan kemahiran dalam teknologi dan mencipta laman sesawang dan media sosial seakan mirip Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) dan bank untuk memperdaya pengguna yang kesempitan dalam tempoh Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP).

"Para scammer akan mencari pengguna yang rentan terutama warga emas yang terhimpit pada masa kini.

"Sehubungan itu, pengguna dinasihatkan supaya menyemak terlebih dahulu maklumat yang mereka terima sama ada melalui sistem pesanan ringkas (SMS), panggilan telefon mahupun e-mel," katanya menerusi kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata, pengguna juga dinasihatkan supaya tidak memberi butiran peribadi seperti nombor akaun bank, nombor kad pengenalan dan sebagainya kepada mana-mana pihak.

"Sila hubungi bank atau mana-mana pihak yang cuba bertanyakan maklumat peribadi anda sekiranya anda menerima pesanan daripada bank mahupun LHDN," katanya.

Saravanan Thambirajah

Ketua Pengawai Operasi, FOMCA

--Bernama

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April 30, 2020 @ 5:07pm MYT

The current Covid-19 pandemic has put tremendous financial pressures not only on the low income but also the middle income families. Loss of jobs, reduced incomes and fear of an uncertain future are some of the immediate and long terms fears and concerns of households.

The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research has estimated a loss of more than 2.4 million jobs as a consequence of this pandemic. Clearly the financial support by government to assist consumers to survive these difficult times is extremely limited.

Firstly, many self-employed and daily wage workers are excluded. Secondly, the one-off aid received is clearly insufficient to meet personal and household basic needs and consumers have to find their own means to raise cash to meet their basic obligations.

There can be expected to be many fall-out from these economic consequences, including disposal of one's assets to generate cash for the family. Some families might even have to sell their homes. It would be tragic but may be unavoidable to survive and ensure sustenance for the family.

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21 Apr 2020

FOMCA has been receiving a lot of complaints and enquiries on fees charged by education institutions and bus and van operators. The education institutions range from kindergartens, day-care centres and private schools.

Parents are hoping that fees would be waived as most of them are not working and are finding it difficult to make ends meet under the movement control order (MCO).

Some of these institutions are receiving aid under the Prihatin Stimulus Package. Those occupying rented premises have been allowed to defer rental and loan payments. As these institutions are not operating full-time at the moment, they have minimal operational costs. It may not be fair to charge parents the full fee.

Not all parents are able to coach their children at home as the syllabus and teaching approaches have changed. The education minister recently said that not many parents have computers or internet links at home to access online learning.

Some parents are not IT savvy thus complicating the situation.

A few kindergartens are offering online lessons for three year olds but these kids are finding it hard to grasp what is taught as many are not able to read without face-to- face coaching. Parents are requesting for a reduction in fees.

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April 19, 2020

PETALING JAYA: Two consumer groups have asked the Mydin chain of hypermarkets to follow the advice of the health ministry on its disinfection process as “it is better to be safe than to face any health consequences later”.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Paul Selvaraj said the company should only use disinfectants confirmed by the ministry to be safe.

“At this point, it is best to listen to expert advice from the ministry,” he told FMT, adding that it was possible the disinfectants could have some negative effect on people.

Last week, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said that spraying an individual with chemicals for 30 seconds was not enough to effectively disinfect the person.

 He also said the chemicals used in such equipment could be harmful to the eyes and mouth.

“From our assessment, there is no proof that these equipment are effective in reducing the spread of Covid-19,” Noor Hisham said at a daily briefing.

Mydin’s managing director, Ameer Ali Mydin, had said his chain uses a quaternary-based disinfectant solution, which is 100% alcohol-free and acts as first-level protection against cross-contamination.