Aduan kes ah long meningkat 40 peratus
- Details
11 Februari 2021
SHAH ALAM - Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM) merekodkan peningkatan aduan kes ah long sebanyak 40 peratus sejak November tahun lalu disebabkan kesan pandemik Covid-19.
Setiausaha Kerja PPIM, Zharif Johor berkata, jumlah aduan harian meningkat sekali ganda berbanding sebelum ini kerana dipercayai lebih ramai terlibat dengan pinjaman ah long kerana desakan hidup.
“Boleh dikatakan sejumlah 80 peratus daripada pengadu terjebak dengan pinjaman ah long dan memerlukan bantuan PPIM untuk menyelesaikan tuntutan adalah disebabkan terkesan dengan pandemik Covid-19.
“Selain untuk perbelanjaan harian, rata-rata mereka membuat pinjaman ah long untuk modal memulakan perniagaan selepas dibuang kerja.
“Ada juga yang perniagaan yang terjejas dan terpaksa pinjam wang daripada ah long,” katanya kepada Sinar Harian pada Rabu.
Namun begitu jelas Zharif, berdasarkan aduan diterima sejak November, jumlah pinjaman yang dibuat pengadu tidak sebanyak kes-kes sebelum ini.
“Jika sebelum ini jumlah pengadu mungkin tidak seperti sekarang tetapi ia melibatkan jumlah pinjaman yang besar sehingga berjuta-juta ringgit.
“Berdasarkan rekod sejak tiga bulan ini, kes aduan meningkat menunjukkan lebih ramai terjebak dengan ah long tetapi jumlah tuntutan pinjaman yang sederhana serendah RM10,000 hingga RM200,000,” katanya.
Katanya, terdapat kes seorang suri rumah berusia 27 tahun membuat pinjaman dengan sembilan ah long setelah suaminya dibuang kerja.
Kedai makan kena kompaun kerana 2 nasi bungkus RM38
- Details
9 Feb 2021, 3:10 pm
Gara-gara menjual nasi bungkus berlauk kambing dengan harga tinggi, sebuah kedai makan di Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu, dikompaun Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP) Kelantan semalam.
Pengarahnya Adnan Abd Rahman berkata tindakan itu diambil susulan peniaga tersebut tidak mempamerkan tanda harga pada makanan yang dijual dan pihaknya menerima aduan daripada pengguna.
"Satu aduan awam diterima KPDNHEP Kota Bharu berkaitan satu premis tidak meletakkan tanda harga pada makanan yang dijual di Kubang Kerian.
"Sebelum itu pengadu membuat pembelian dua nasi bungkus berlauk kambing dengan harga sebanyak RM38, namun pengadu tidak berpuas hati dengan harga setelah membuat bayaran pembelian tersebut kerana harga terlalu tinggi dan tiada tanda harga dipamerkan.
"Pengadu tampil ke pejabat dengan membuat aduan rasmi berkaitan pengaduan tersebut beserta bukti pembelian dari premis terbabit," katanya kepada media di Kota Bharu, hari ini.
Sehubungan itu Adnan berkata, sepasukan penguat Kuasa KPDNHEP Kota Bharu menyiasat aduan tersebut dan hasil siasatan dijalankan mendapati memang tiada tanda harga dipamerkan di premis berkenaan.
"Satu tindakan kes dibuat mengikut Akta Kawalan Harga dan Antipencatutan 2011 ke atas premis gagal mempamerkan tanda harga pada barangan yang dijual," katanya.
Adnan menambah sejak Jan lalu sehingga kini sebanyak 44 kes diambil tindakan mengikut Akta Kawalan Harga dan Antipencatutan 2011 oleh KPDNHEP Kelantan.
Read more: Kedai makan kena kompaun kerana 2 nasi bungkus RM38
MCMC: Courier companies can be fined up to RM300,000 for violating Postal Services Act 2012
- Details
Wednesday, 10 Feb 2021 08:44 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — Early this week, a video of J&T Express staff mishandling parcels had gone viral due to an alleged misunderstanding of bonus arrangements by the courier company. J&T Express had issued a statement, while the staff have also posted an apology video on Facebook.
Since the postal service falls under the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the regulatory body has issued a statement on the matter without naming the courier company.
It mentioned that they are looking into the matter seriously and have told them to provide an explanation.
The MCMC said they have also issued a stern warning to the company’s management and have urged them to take necessary steps to improve the handling of customer packages.
The statement also reminded all licensed courier companies under the Postal Services Act 2012 to adhere to the conditions and rules, especially when it comes to protecting the rights of consumers.
Any license holders that have violated any subsidiary legislation under the Act can be fined up to RM300,000 or imprisoned up to 3 years, or both.
The MCMC has also urged all consumers to understand and be aware of their rights before choosing a service from a courier company.
If there are any damaged or loss items, consumers are urged to contact the service provider to report a complaint. If you’re not satisfied with the provided solution, you may proceed to lodge a formal complaint with the commission via the Aduan SKMM portal. — SoyaCincau
Source: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/10/mcmc-courier-companies-can-be-fined-up-to-rm300000-for-violating-postal-ser/1948557
Pawnbrokers: lifeline or death knell for the poor? – Sothi Rachagan
- Details
Covid-19 pandemic sees resurgence for industry but also exposes how it exploits the vulnerable
07 Feb 2021 11:30AM
BANK Negara-regulated financial institutions were required to grant a mandatory automatic six-month moratorium when the pandemic struck. Hire-purchase and credit-sales providers regulated by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry were subject to moratoriums under the Covid-19 Act.
However, moneylenders and pawnbrokers regulated by the Housing and Local Government Ministry would only agree to a three-month moratorium even though the prime minister sought a six-month moratorium.
Yet, they were not subject to the Covid-19 Act. Unless this is addressed, the poor will lose even their meagre assets.
Pawnbroking is the business of advancing secured loans to persons with personal effects or household goods used as collateral and deposited with the lender until redeemed.
The items pawned are themselves called pledges or pawns, or simply the collateral, and the pawnbroker is entitled to sell this when the person who borrowed the money does not pay it back by an agreed time.
Pawnbroking is available in all countries. It is offered principally by the private pawnbroker, though at various times and in many countries, there have existed public pawnshops with nominal charges and pawn-accepting charities managed by religious bodies to cater for the poor with money obtained from gifts or bequests.
Gone are the days when pawnshops were repositories of history, holding antiques, jewellery, furniture, musical instruments, timepieces, military memorabilia, distinctive pieces of clothing and other items that had been part of a family heirloom, where one could buy or sell rare and unique items. Today, most pawnshops only accept gold items as a pledge.
Read more: Pawnbrokers: lifeline or death knell for the poor? – Sothi Rachagan
Exercise caution when playing ‘kootu’ funds, say lawyers
- Details
February 7, 2021 10:59 AM
KUALA LUMPUR: The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the earning capacity of many Malaysians, and this could tempt some to turn to the time-tested way of raising some hard cash through tontine, which is known locally as “kootu”.
But several lawyers have advised the people to exercise caution when participating in tontine lest they be caught on the wrong side of the law.
Some aspects of how locals operate could violate Section 3 of the Kootu Funds (Prohibition) Act 1971 (Act 28), they said.
Lawyer Teeruvarasu K Muthusamy said tontine is loosely defined as a pool of money raised from contributions made by a group of individuals at regular intervals, on a weekly or monthly basis.
The money is then withdrawn from the pool by the group leader and given to a participant, mainly by a lottery mechanism to determine the sequence of distribution among the participants.
He said while playing the traditional kootu fund among friends and family is legal according to the Registrar of Societies, it can be illegal in two situations.
“It becomes an offence when the leader charges a membership fee from the participants to join the scheme. It also becomes illegal when the leader claims profits from the contributions to enrich himself,” he told Bernama.
Teeruvarasu said the other scenario that would render the activity illegal is when the fund is advertised or promoted among the general public.
Read more: Exercise caution when playing ‘kootu’ funds, say lawyers
LETTER | Beware of the dark sides of cashless payments
- Details
6 Feb 2021, 9:12 am
LETTER | The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition to cashless payments in most Southeast Asian countries to facilitate contactless transactions and further curb the spread of the virus.
Nevertheless, it is also crucial for us to be cautious because the method also has some drawbacks without us knowing it.
Indeed, cashless payment has become the most preferred payment method for both consumers and sellers in this pandemic era.
However, the blind use of cashless payments can have numerous adverse effects on people’s well-being, especially poor consumer behaviour, which is defined as a process through which an identifiable consumer group actually makes buying decisions.
Based on Accenture’s study titled “Covid-19: How consumer behaviour will change,” it is clear the crisis drives permanent changes in consumer behaviour. Consumer preferences have also been centred on the most basic needs, sending demand soaring for hygiene, cleaning and staple products, while non-essential categories are slumping.
Although it is definitely a positive thing to note that Covid-19 has triggered the high use of the cashless payment, individuals should be conscientious about its dire consequences, especially on how they spend and how much they spend on products.
Besides, the apparent factor of poor spending behaviour is that it can lead to panic buying, where individuals appear to overspend without even worrying about their financial condition.
Read more: LETTER | Beware of the dark sides of cashless payments
CAP welcomes Dr Noor Hisham's statement on price control for Covid-19 tests
- Details
February 6, 2021 @ 5:15pm
GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has lauded statement by the Health director-general on price control to check on Covid-19.
CAP education officer N.V. Subbarow said it was a good suggestion, especially for those in the lower income group.
Currently, he said, the price of RT-PCR and RTK-Antigen tests at private clinics ranged between RM220 and RM388 and RM90 and RM170 respectively.
"If not controlled, the price may go up, just like the face mask previously.
"As such, we urged the consumers and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) to cooperate with the Health Ministry to regulate prices for test prices.
"There must be an understanding between the ministries involved in the Covid-19 tests.
"Strict action must be taken against any private clinic that charges it (the test) expensively. Everyone has to play an important role," he said
According to Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the Health Ministry will try to control the price of the Covid-19 tests at private clinics to make it more affordable for the public.
Dr Noor Hisham had compared the Covid-19 tests with a face mask, which saw a price increase last year following an increase in demand.
74-year-old PJ woman loses RM1 million to Macau scam syndicate
- Details
February 5, 2021 @ 9:15am
KUALA LUMPUR: A 74-year-old retiree lost more than a million ringgit of her savings after falling victim to a Macau scam syndicate.
The elderly woman received a call on Sept 25 last year, purportedly from Pos Malaysia headquarters saying that they were holding a package containing an Identification Card (IC), a cheque book, and three bank cards under her name.
The call was then transferred to a man who introduced himself as Sergeant Fairul from the Sabah Contingent Police Headquarters. He told the victim that she was involved in a money laundering case and was under investigation.
The call was again transferred to another "policeman" named Si Wan, who threatened the victim by saying that she would be arrested and remanded if she refused to cooperate throughout "their investigations".
"Frightened, the victim obeyed all orders by the scammers and gave away her bank account information to Si Wan, and transferred RM833,000 from her Tabung Haji account into her Maybank account," Petaling Jaya District police chief Assistant Commissioner Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said in a statement.
He added that on Oct 5, 2020, Si Wan asked the woman to hand over her Maybank card, which he claimed was needed to withdraw the money for auditing purposes in the money laundering case she was supposedly under investigation for.
Nik Ezanee said on Oct 6, 2020, following Si Wan's instructions over the phone, the victim went to the Atria Shopping Mall and placed her Maybank card on top of a letterbox as instructed.
Read more: 74-year-old PJ woman loses RM1 million to Macau scam syndicate
CAP: Be wary when buying laptops, computers during pandemic
- Details
February 3, 2021 @ 2:45pm
GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has urged consumers to be wary when buying laptops or computers (either old, refurbished or new), especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was because they were potential targets for scammers or opportunists who prey on people making hasty decisions during such times.
CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader also called on the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) to continue monitoring the sales of computer and computer equipment.
He said with the emergence of online businesses and students having to study online, there had been a spike in demand for laptops or computers.
"CAP wants to caution people wanting to purchase such devices or equipment to be wary of three particular things namely scams, warranties and prices.
"Try not to purchase through social media such as Facebook or WhatsApp because it is not possible to know the reliability of the seller.
"It would be advisable to acquire a second-hand or refurbished equipment from someone you know and preferably known to be reliable. The reason is that, if there is anything wrong, you can easily find the person as compared to one who lives far away.
"There have been cases of people buying electronic items from other states only to discover that the equipment is defective," he said today.
Mohideen cited the case of a woman who had purchased a "deal of a lifetime" iPhone, only to find a rusty lock (without any key) inside the parcel she received after making payment.
Read more: CAP: Be wary when buying laptops, computers during pandemic
'Covid-19 screening pricey due to rampant profiteering' - FOMCA
- Details
February 3, 2021 @ 9:30am
KUALA LUMPUR: ConsumeR groups are urging the government to set a price cap on Covid-19 screening as a move to encourage mass community testing.
They claimed that allowing healthcare facilities to set their own prices for screening had resulted in rampant profiteering.
A survey by the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) found that the cost for Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (Rt-PCR) test started from as low as RM100 and could go up to RM580, while the cost for screening using the Rapid Test Kit-Antigen (RTK-Antigen) ranged from RM50 to RM350.
Fomca president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said it was high time the government standardised the cost for Covid-19 tests, similar to how the price for face masks was capped under controlled items.
"We are facing (a health) emergency, yet many irresponsible healthcare facilities are cashing in on the crisis by charging exorbitant fees for the tests.
"This profiteering must stop. The cost for RTK-Ag test should be capped at RM70 maximum," he told the New Straits Times yesterday.
Although the Rt-PCR test is considered more accurate, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had, on Jan 22, twittered that the RTK-Ag could be used as a confirmed test result if the healthcare system was overburdened.
He said the RTK-Ag test could be used when the turnaround time for Rt-PCR test was longer than 72 hours or when the Rt-PCR test was not available.
However, he said, the RTK-Ag test kit must have a sensitivity of more than 80 per cent, and the kit's specificity should exceed 97 per cent.
Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye called on the government to place the RTK-Ag test kit as a price-controlled item to lower the screening cost.
Read more: 'Covid-19 screening pricey due to rampant profiteering' - FOMCA
Page 59 of 155