PLUSLINER - Not Helpful

THINKING it would be more economical to travel via an express bus to visit his sick child in Penang, MOHD IZHAM MOHD JAYA bought tickets from Plusliner for him and his wife to travel on Feb 12.

"Not wanting to miss our 8.45am bus, we waited at the Putrajaya Sentral Station from 8.15am.

"At 8.50am, I went to the counter to ask on the bus' whereabouts but was told the bus had just left!

"Earlier, I did notice a Plusliner bus parked at the side of the road but there was no driver in sight and the doors were closed. The bus wasn't parked in an allocated space, so it didn't occur to me that that was the bus I was suppose to board," he says.

MOHD IZHAM says he noticed the bus had departed right after its driver finished smoking a cigarette near the counter.

"There was no announcement and the doors were not opened. I didn't know where the bus was headed.

"The counter staff was not helpful at all. He couldn't tell me when the next bus to Penang would be nor suggested a solution to my woes. Another bus driver who was aware of the situation offered to 'chase' the bus for me, but the counter staff could not even provide him with the contact number of the Plusliner driver, so that was futile.

"Furthermore, the counter staff did not seem bothered with my problem. He said their system was down and currently being repaired," he says.

MOHD IZHAM says his wife then contacted Plusliner Penang to get the bus schedule. "When we enquired, we were told their system was not down."

He says things didn't perk up when he called Plusliner Infoline (1 300 888 582) as the customer service blamed him for not searching for the bus driver, as that was the "norm" at the station.

"How on earth was I to know of this so-called practice? We weren't informed of such things when we bought the tickets."

There was also no enforcement officer at the station to ensure that express bus operators adhere to rules, says MOHD IZHAM.

"My wife and I had to wait till 11.10am for the refund. We ended up driving to Penang that day."

He wants Plusliner to explain the incident and poor service.

● PLUSLINER Express & Nice Executive Coach head Rosli Md Dali says: "We regret over the incident that happened to MOHD IZHAM and his wife on Feb 12.

"We acknowledge our mistakes and plan to improve our ticket counter operations nationwide, especially at Putrajaya Sentral Station.

"We have also provided an explanation to the Road Transport Department, Land Public Transport Commission and Putrajaya Corporation on the incident.

"Plusliner is extremely grateful for MOHD IZHAM's views as it gives us the opportunity to improve our service."

When contacted, MOHD IZHAM says Plusliner has been in touch with him and he has accepted their apology.

KFC - Unethical Corporatism

BEING an ardent fan of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), it is no surprise that the fast food is often a popular eatery forBUGUNA MONEYRAJ and her large family-of-eight.

But the Kajang resident's experience with the establishment on March 20 has made her think twice before stepping into any of their outlets again.

"At the KFC drive-thru in Kajang, I bought a chicken barrel, coleslaw and whipped potato for dinner," she tells Hotline.

Upon reaching home to her hungry family, BUGUNA was shocked to find a piece of chicken in the barrel that looked partially eaten (pic).

"When I inspected the other pieces, I realised there were only 18 pieces in the barrel instead of the usual 21."

She immediately stopped her family from eating and brought the barrel back to the outlet, some two kilometres from her home. There, she related the problem to the manager, who happened to be the same staff who took her order earlier.

"But all he did was apologise and said he would add on the 'missing' chicken without explaining why it was short in the first place. I told him I wanted a new barrel instead," says BUGUNA.

Despite her request, she says the manager just added another three pieces into the barrel and replaced the half-eaten chicken with a new one.

"The manager also said I could complain to the relevant authorities if I wanted to. Since my family was already waiting for food, I had no choice but to take the barrel and leave," she says.

BUGUNA feels that KFC should not take their customers for granted and train their staff to be friendlier.

She wants an explanation from the fast food joint about the incident.

● A KFC Holdings (Malaysia) Bhd spokesman says: "We clarify that on the night in question, the restaurant manager on duty had acknowledged the issue and had apologised to BUGUNA for the inconvenience she experienced and her dissatisfaction over our service and products.

"The restaurant manager had also replaced the alleged missing pieces to rectify the problem.

"After investigating her complaint that one of the chicken drumsticks was half-eaten, we came to the possible conclusion that the skin of the freshly cooked drumstick may have got caught onto the grease proof paper lining the box and as such, when the customer took it out of the barrel, the meat separated."

When contacted, BUGUNA expressed her dissatisfaction over how KFC handled the whole situation.

"They only explained about the half-eaten chicken. What is their excuse for putting only 18 pieces in the barrel?

"I'm not happy with their explanation and will pursue the matter with a higher authority."

IPTA - Poor System

GRACE FRANCIS has been hoping to secure enrolment in a public university and start a new chapter in her life.

But due to a website technical glitch during her online application, she now fears her future will be compromised.

"After sitting for my SPM last year, I filled up the online application form during Phase One in December for admission to public universities. A notice on screen stated the application was sent successfully."

But when GRACE tried updating her application for Phase Two, between January and February, another pop-up notification stated her information was not in the system.

"I tried registering again but a different notification then said my application has been sent, so I can't re-register. Even after trying to update my application a few times, it still failed."

Confused by the contradicting notifications, the 18-year-old from Miri, Sarawak, is now in limbo.

"Am I registered? Has my application been sent? I don't know which message is correct. I'm not even sure if my application had gone through during Phase One."

The SMK Lutong alumna is upset because living in a longhouse hours away from town, she has to travel to higher ground just to make a phone call.

"I have to travel for four hours via a four-wheel drive or a boat to get to town and the nearest Internet service.

"I've been calling the numbers on the IPTA website. They have 10 phone lines but none answered. My emails went unreplied, too," says GRACE.

"Does this mean that I have to wait till next year to apply again?"

Fearing the technical glitches may quash her chance of furthering study, she wants the IPTA admission unit to rectify the glitch and look into her application.

● A REPRESENTATIVE from the Higher Education Department's student admissions management unit says they have updated GRACE on her application status and gave her a copy of the Phase Two applications for July admission for her reference.

"In an official letter dated April 19, it says: "GRACE's application was received through the system on April 14 and is being processed. The result of IPTA admission can be made in the first week of May though website upu@mohe.gov.my. Inconveniences caused are regretted."

Celebrity Fitness - Payment Error

ALL she wants is to pay her monthly Celebrity Fitness membership fee on time but JESSIE CHIN has not been able to do that.

When her four-year membership with the gym expired in February, she renewed it in March.

"This time, I opted for monthly payments as opposed to the previous annual. My first payment of RM179 was supposedly due on March 30 and I've made a standing instruction to debit my EON Bank credit card accordingly," she says.

JESSIE says she got the shock of her life when she receive her latest credit card statement on March 29. The statement showed eight deductions of RM179, resulting in transactions worth RM1,432.

"I went to see Celebrity Fitness customer service the next day and told them about it. Upon checking, they told me the mistake was theirs and it would take one week to do the reversal."

On April 5, JESSIE called customer service to check the status but was told the head office is handling the case and that it'll take another two to three weeks to be resolved.

"But my credit card payment is due April 13. If I don't pay by then, I'd be charged interest. That won't be fair," she says.

She then headed to the EON Bank in SS2, Petaling Jaya to seek help.

"I filled up a dispute form. The officer-in-charge said the bank will contact Celebrity Fitness to clarify the matter and it'll take one to two weeks.

"On April 11, I called the bank's credit card centre to check the status but they said they've only received the dispute form that day. Worse, it will take two months to investigate," says JESSIE.

"The time frame to resolve this matter is absurd! Who's going to pay for my card's interest and late payment charges? It's unfair that I'm being penalised for their mistakes."

JESSIE wants an explanation from both parties.

● AN EON Bank Berhad spokesman says: "We have advised JESSIE to liaise with the merchant to amend the disputed transactions as the charges were administered by the merchant and not EON Bank.

"However, we recognise JESSIE's concern about being charged interest on the disputed transactions, so as a gesture of goodwill, we have granted her temporary credit for 45 days to allow the merchant to correct the disputed transactions. No interest will be incurred on the disputed transactions during this period."

Meanwhile, a Celebrity Fitness spokesman says: "Our operations manager from our One Utama branch has apologised to JESSIE personally. The reversal process was completed on April 12.

"The operations manager has contacted JESSIE on April 18 and she is happy that we fulfilled our promise to solve her case within the time frame given."

When contacted by Hotline, JESSIE confirms the phone call from Celebrity Fitness.

"They said the reversal has been done. However, I wouldn't have to go through this hassle if the gym had been more careful."

Giant - Unprofessional

ON April 1, IBRAHIM saw an advertisement in a local daily by Giant Hypermarket promoting a stand fan at 30 per cent discount. The promotion was till April 3.

A Puchong resident, he made his way to the Giant Hypermarket there on the same day to purchase the 16-inch Wing stand fan.

When it was his turn to pay, the cashier seemed to have trouble with the product code in the register, so IBRAHIM was told to wait while they sorted it out.

"I waited long enough until people behind me were looking at me funny, I felt embarrassed," he tells Hotline.

Later, IBRAHIM paid RM49.90 for the fan after discount. After finding the fan to be a decent buy, he went to Giant again on April 3. This time, he was made to pay RM79.90.

"Ironically, the same incident happened again. When I wanted to pay, the cashier had problems punching in the product code. Again I was told to wait, holding up the line while they tried to figure things out," he says.

The explanation given to him later on the differing price was that the fan actually cost RM99.90, so it's RM79.90 after discount. The hypermarket staff had apparently overlooked a detail when IBRAHIM made his first purchase two days before.

"This is so unprofessional. Why didn't Giant do a thorough check and fix the problem when I made noise the first time? Instead I was made to wait and be embarrassed. People in the queue were looking at me as if I don't have enough money to buy a simple stand fan!"

IBRAHIM says he now has two receipts as proof of purchase of two same items at different prices within three days.

He wants a clarification from Giant.

● A SPOKESMAN for Giant Hypermarket Sdn Bhd apologies for the customer's experience.

"The fan purchased by the customer is one of several items offered at 30 per cent discount and the price on display was already discounted.

"On April 1, when the customer made the purchase, the cashier attending to him was not aware the price had already been discounted, that was why he had trouble punching in the product code. So when IBRAHIM asked for the 30 per cent cut, our staff wanted to avoid further delays so he fulfilled the transaction accordingly.

"Subsequently, the Giant Kinrara chief cashier realised the erroneous transaction and briefed the cashier on the mistake.

"When IBRAHIM came back for the same item on April 3, it is only logical that we cannot sell the fan to him at the previous day’s price as it was a mistake. Our staff explained to him the displayed price was after discount.

"We hope this clarifies the situation. We thank and appreciate his feedback as it will help us finetune
our services."

Harvey Norman - Defective Products

IF three out four items you bought at the same store are faulty and cause you trouble, you'd probably be as disappointed as ADELENE ANTHONY.

"Out of the four items I bought from Harvey Norman in Mutiara Damansara throughout last year, three of them have caused major problems for my family and I," she tells Hotline.

"First, it was a defective Kenwood oven that was sent back to the factory for repairs. It was two months before I got it back.

"Not only was the repair delayed, I had to make numerous phone calls. I finally got my oven back after I requested to pick it up myself at the factory."

ADELENE says the second faulty item was a Philips micro hifi set. She says there was a major mix-up when the item was sent for repairs.

"Upon receiving the repaired item, only the main unit of the hifi set was returned to me. I am still waiting for the two woofers that came with it."

In the latest incident, ADELENE says her new Mitsubishi air-conditioner is causing power trips and her home's breaker box is now spoilt. The third incident pretty much drove her up the wall.

"It really didn't help that when we requested for the air-conditioner to be fixed, the staff was unhelpful," she says.

"No wonder the sales people were adamant when encouraging me to opt for extended warranties during the purchases. But what good are these warranties if no assistance is rendered when required?"

ADELENE wants Harvey Norman to clarify.

● SHAHZAN OMAR, the customer service senior executive of Elitetrax Marketing Sdn Bhd, which owns and operates the Harvey Norman chain of electronic retail stores in Malaysia, says all of ADELENE's complaints have been attended to and resolved to the best of their ability.

On the Mitsubishi air-conditioner, he says: "During installation, the contractor advised the customer that the old wiring would not be able to cope with the power requirement of the new air-cond, but she insisted on using the old wiring, thus the frequent power trip. Our contractor has since replaced the old wiring with new ones free of charge."

On the missing woofers, Shahzan says Harvey Norman has since replaced the customer with a complete new set to compensate the loss. The cost to send the faulty item to and from the service centre was borne by Harvey Norman, he says.

On the Kenwood oven, Shahzan says the delay in repairs was due to Kenwood's service centre having to order spare parts for the unit.

"Feedback from the service centre reveals that the unit was faulty due to frequent power trips. Harvey Norman bore the transportation cost for this item as well."

When contacted, ADELENE confirms her problems have been resolved.

"I've received the two woofers on April 5 and the busted wiring was fixed on March 26."

DIGI - Unethical Business Model

HE feels it was unethical of DiGi to increase the credit limit for his postpaid mobile account without his knowledge.

"I've been their customer for seven years now and I maintain my credit limit at RM50," says B. SARAVANAN, from Cheras.

"Last December, I noticed my credit limit was increased to RM70. Although it is a small change, they must ask for my permission before making any changes."

SARAVANAN says DiGi's action shows they do not respect customers. When he complained to DiGi, he was told they sent him an SMS notification.

"I was in India at the time. I did not receive any SMS from them."

Upon paying his March bill recently, SARAVANAN realised his current credit limit is now RM800.

"I called customer service on March 25 but was told it would take 48 hours to revert the previous credit limit."

After two days, SARAVANAN contacted DiGi again but was still given the same reason.

"Why is it taking so long? I want my credit limit to be a reasonable RM150, at most."

● A SPOKESMAN for DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd says:"At the end of last year, selected DiGi postpaid customers, including SARAVANAN, were offered an increase in credit limit, depending on their average mobile usage.

"These target customers were notified via SMS with an option to reply to a short code number within a week to decline the request, failing which the credit limit would be increased automatically.

"Our record indicated that we did not receive any response from the customer, hence his credit limit was revised on Dec 24, 2010.

"We have explained and resolved the issue with the customer. Also as requested, DiGi has reset SARAVANAN's credit limit to the earlier amount of RM150 on April 1."

When contacted, SARAVANAN confirms his credit limit has been reduced.

Kamal Bookstore - Rude Staff

DR MUHAMAD AZRIN MOHD ASIHIN didn't expect to be confronted with rude behavior by a staff at Kamal Bookstore in Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur.

"On April 14, I went there to buy a book 'Vivas and Communication Skills in Surgery' (pic).

This is a book every doctor needs and Kamal Bookstore is the only place in town that has the most sought-after medical and dental books," the government hospital doctor tells Hotline.

DR MUHAMAD AZRIN says just the day before, a friend of his had bought the book for RM88.

But when he went there, he was caught by surprise when made to pay RM118 for the same book.

"I questioned a staff about the price difference but he refused to answer me and insisted on the price."

DR MUHAMAD AZRIN claims the staff said he was asking too many questions.

"Then, he refused to sell the book to me and waved his hand, signalling me to leave the shop."

He demanded to see the outlet manager but was told the person was overseas.

"How can the staff refuse to sell to a customer, even after I have agreed to pay despite my complaint?"

DR MUHAMAD AZRIN later got someone else to buy the book for him after he left the shop.

"I don' t mind if they increase the price but they should have treated their customer better."

● A SPOKESMAN for Kamal Medical Book Supplies Sdn Bhd says there was a misunderstanding between their staff and the complainant.

"Our staff tried to explain to the customer about the price increase but he refused to listen.

"We had to increase the price because our book supplier gave us the new price list on April 14.

"However, we apologise for the inconvenience caused to the customer that day.

"We welcome him to visit our outlet in the future and he will be treated well."

When contacted, DR MUHAMAD AZRIN confirms the apology from the bookstore.