Over 3,000 complaints from 2021-2022 received against airlines: NCCC |
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Tuesday, 10 January 2023 10:28 |
08 Jan 2023 8:00AM JOHOR BARU – The National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) received 3,029 complaints against airliners from January 2020 to December 2021, according to its senior manager Baskaran Sithamparam.
The majority of the complaints, he pointed out, pertain to travellers facing obstacles in receiving refunds for cancelled flights.
During the height of the pandemic, Baskaran highlighted, travel restrictions saw travellers’ flights cancelled, with some airlines operating in Malaysia offering vouchers instead of cash refunds.
“What makes things worse is that these vouchers sometimes come with a time limit, whereby travellers must use them before the period ends.
“Furthermore, for some consumers, vouchers were not a feasible solution given that they paid for flights using their credit cards, so in such situations, cash refunds would have been best,” Baskaran told The Vibes.
Najib Redzuan is an example of a customer who purchased a flight with a low-cost carrier in early 2020, which was cancelled due to the movement control order in place at the time.
Until today, despite spending over RM5,000 on flight tickets to Japan for a family vacation, he has yet to receive proper reimbursement.
“We were planning to fly to Japan sometime in March, and when our flights were cancelled, I was told by the airline that I would get a refund within a certain time period.
“I waited a whole year until I came across the news that the airline would be pursuing a restructuring scheme, which would see customers like me receiving credits we could use to purchase another flight.
“However, when we decided to book flights when the borders reopened, the credits we were given could not be used,” Najib said when contacted.
In the middle of 2022, Najib said he took steps to escalate the matter to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) but was informed by the regulatory body that they received no response from the airline.
Meanwhile, Lee Kok Yew purchased tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Vietnam in December last year with the same budget airline, but saw his outgoing flight cancelled and rescheduled to another date.
When demanding a refund, Lee was informed that he could only obtain a partial reimbursement, which he has still yet to receive.
“I was frustrated with the situation and made a complaint to the NCCC, after which the airline contacted me to inform me that they are looking into my grievance.
“I understand now that my case is under the purview of Mavcom, but in the meantime, I will not book any more flights with that airline,” Lee said. – The Vibes
Source: https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/82208/over-3000-complaints-from-2021-2022-received-against-airlines-nccc |
31,169 kes jenayah dalam talian direkodkan hingga Jun 2022 |
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Wednesday, 27 July 2022 14:47 |
27 Julai 2022 KUALA LUMPUR - Sejumlah 31,169 kes jenayah dalam talian direkodkan sejak tahun 2021 hingga 30 Jun lepas, kata Kementerian Kewangan (MoF).
Berdasarkan statistik yang dikeluarkan oleh Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM), jenayah dalam talian itu merangkumi penipuan pembelian secara dalam talian, pinjaman tidak wujud, African Scam/ Love Scam, Macau Scam, pelaburan, Business Email Compromise dan Tipu SMS.
"Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) dan institusi-institusi kewangan telah mengadakan kerjasama dengan pelbagai agensi penguatkuasaan seperti PDRM, Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia, Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia dan Suruhanjaya Sekuriti yang merangkumi kegiatan pemantauan, siasatan dan pendakwaan di mahkamah.
"Selain itu usaha bagi meningkatkan kesedaran orang ramai mengenai penipuan kewangan turut dilipatgandakan menerusi siri taklimat kesedaran secara dalam talian serta program orang ramai, menggunakan saluran media dan juga laman media sosial,” kata kementerian itu dalam jawapan bertulis di Parlimen di sini.
Ia bagi menjawab soalan Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Stampin) yang ingin tahu jumlah kerugian pendeposit-pendeposit bank yang dimangsakan oleh scam bank di mana wang mereka telah dipindah tanpa pengetahuan dalam tahun 2021 dan 2022.
MoF berkata, BNM juga bekerjasama dengan Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia dan syarikat-syarikat telekomunikasi untuk meningkatkan keselamatan saluran komunikasi dan multimedia bagi menyekat terbitan mesej palsu dan penyebaran perisian hasad (malware) oleh sindiket penipuan kewangan.
"Selain itu nombor telefon dan peranti mudah alih yang terlibat dalam kes penipuan kewangan turut disenaraihitamkan..
"Bagi memulihkan keyakinan rakyat atas keselamatan wang yang disimpan di institusi kewangan, kerajaan ingin menegaskan bahawa institusi perbankan mengamalkan piawaian sistem keselamatan yang tinggi bagi melindungi akaun pelanggan mereka,” katanya.
Menurutnya, kerajaan melalui BNM juga secara berterusan memperkukuh garis panduan dan dasar keselamatan perbankan yang perlu dipatuhi oleh institusi-institusi kewangan. - Bernama
Sumber: https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/213263/BERITA/Nasional/31169-kes-jenayah-dalam-talian-direkodkan-hingga-Jun-2022 |
Offer 50% rebate for flood damage to vehicles, Fomca tells insurance firms |
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Monday, 27 December 2021 11:54 |
December 26, 2021 3:38 PM PETALING JAYA: A consumer activist has called for insurance companies to offer 50% rebates on repair costs of vehicles affected by the recent floods.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Marimuthu Nadason told FMT that this rebate could be considered as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project of the insurance companies.
“Many vehicles have been found to be uninsured for natural disasters like floods. Up to 95% of vehicle owners won’t receive any compensation for repair costs.
“Insurance companies should look into such cases as long as they are insured with them,” he said. Marimuthu highlighted several reasons why vehicle owners had overlooked insuring their cars against natural disasters.
“Firstly, the majority of Malaysians are not aware that insurance policies offer optional cover for natural disasters like flooding.
“Secondly, insurance companies have failed to advise vehicle buyers about this coverage before they purchase their policies.
“Lastly, floods are becoming more rampant and Malaysians, more specifically from Selangor, have underestimated their severity.”
Marimuthu said Fomca intended to send a letter to Bank Negara and the government to intervene by getting insurance companies to promote policies on natural disasters to the public.
Previously, the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) and the Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA) had advised vehice owners affected by the floods to contact their respective agents for further advice and clarification if they were planning to make any claims.
PIAM and MTA gave an assurance that they would quickly process these claims and give special consideration on a case-by-case basis.
They also reminded policy or certificate holders not impacted by the floods to consider reviewing their present vehicle insurance coverage.
Earlier, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) would provide free towing service for Perodua vehicles hit by the floods, based on the vehicles’ insurance coverage.
He said Perodua had also agreed to forego labour charges to repair and service vehicles sent to its service centres and would offer a 50% discount on spare parts.
Ismail also said the government will negotiate with other car companies such as Proton to offer similar services to help owners of vehicles affected by the floods.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/12/26/offer-50-rebate-for-flood-damage-to-vehicles-fomca-tells-insurance-firms/ |
A dent in vehicular insurance |
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Monday, 13 December 2021 15:35 |
December 13, 2021 @ 12:03am LETTERS: The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) has received numerous calls about vehicular insurance.
One peculiar case is whenever an accident happens — that is, when a victim's car is knocked by another driver — by law, both parties must lodge police reports.
This will enable the victims to claim from the offenders' insurance in the event the offenders do not want to pay for the damage.
Unfortunately, some offenders do not lodge reports, making it difficult for victims to claim the insurance. Until and unless the offenders make a report, only then can the victims claim from the offenders' insurance, or else they have to claim from their own insurance.
In this event, the victims will lose their No-Claim Discount, which is unfair.
Why do victims have to go through this agony for others' mistakes?
This was what consumers said of the dilemma they are facing as they are not protected by law.
Once reports are lodged, police must take action against perpetrators and release their names to the media.
If this is done, people will be afraid to face the law and vehicle owners will be protected.
Unfortunately, the police are overwhelmed as they receive hundreds of cases daily. They should create an agency to look into accidents.
A viral video clip recently showed a man grabbing a woman's handbag and telling her to follow him to a police station to make a report. This was after the woman had hit his car.
The act of the man grabbing or taking her handbag is wrong.
One consumer informed us that there was a possibility that the man could have experienced a similar situation before.
This issue need to be ironed out by the authorities, police and Road Transport Department (RTD).
Also, insurance companies must fulfil their obligation to consumers. Consumers need to be protected and not victimised.
The second situation where consumers are victimised is when the offenders' car does not have insurance.
The victims tried to claim from the offenders' insurance, but to no avail.
The offenders eventually renewed their vehicular insurance after the accident and got off scot-free. This is not right.
Road users need to be protected from these offenders, who should be penalised and brought to justice.
Bank Negara, as the regulator of insurance, should work with the General Insurance Association of Malaysia, police and RTD to form a taskforce to eradicate this menace.
Offenders need to be punished and victims need to be protected by providing them insurance coverage without losing their NCD.
Vehicle owners must renew their road tax before year end.
Similarly, if the insurance has expired, the onus is on you to renew it.
Dr Saravanan Thambirajah
Chief executive officer, Fomca/National Consumer Complaints Centre
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2021/12/753720/dent-vehicular-insurance |
Attempts to stop price regulation of medicines |
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Monday, 13 December 2021 15:26 |
10 Dec 2021 6:43PM Medicines are not a commodity to be based solely on supply and demand. Medicines saves lives. It is essential for the survival and recovery of consumers. Medicines cannot be dealt with as other commodities; that is the reason medicine affordability is under the Ministry of Health and not any other trade Ministry.
Medicine is a critical consumer right. It should be never be dealt with based on how much profits the seller makes.
A market review on the pharmaceutical sector was undertaken by the Malaysia Competition Commission.
According to the report, “Malaysian drug prices are high by international standards”. It appears that the pharmaceutical companies in Malaysia are making exorbitant profits by international standards. In another study, it was found that “Malaysia has average higher retail prescription prices compared to Australia due to the lack of pharmaceutical regulation”.
Further according to the Pharmaceutical Services Programme, Ministry of Health Malaysia (2018) on Medicines Prices Monitoring Malaysia (2017), wholesale medicine prices in Malaysia are eight times greater than the International Reference Price (IRP).
Further in a 2019 study by the University of Malaya, it was revealed that 72% of cancer patients experienced financial catastrophe during the first year of treatment in private hospitals, while one third of households became impoverished.
It is for sure that Big Pharma would want to maintain their excessive profits.
That is why the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) has been consistently engaging with the Ministry of Health on the issue of medicine price affordability and price regulation.
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Henti tuntutan insurans tak adil, kerajaan diberitahu |
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Monday, 13 December 2021 15:18 |
December 10, 2021 6:59 PM PETALING JAYA: Persekutuan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) menarik perhatian terhadap pemandu yang terpaksa membuat tuntutan daripada insurans sendiri dalam kemalangan walaupun pihak lain yang bersalah.
CEO FOMCA, Saravanan Thambirajah berkata sekiranya dua kereta berlanggar, kedua-dua pihak mesti membuat laporan polis. Namun beliau berkata, lazimnya hanya satu pihak membuat laporan polis manakala satu lagi tidak, seterusnya boleh terlepas daripada dikesan.
“Hanya jika pelaku itu membuat laporan polis, barulah mangsa boleh menuntut insurans orang itu, jika tidak mereka terpaksa menggunakan insurans sendiri. “Dalam keadaan itu, mangsa akan kehilangan bonus tanpa tuntutan (NCB) dan ini amatlah tidak adil. Kenapa mangsa perlu melalui kesusahan ini semata-mata kesilapan orang lain?” katanya dalam kenyataan hari ini.
Saravanan berkata, satu lagi isu penting melibatkan pemandu tanpa insurans kereta sah yang juga boleh terlepas daripada dipertanggungjawabkan.
Katanya, golongan itu boleh membaharui insurans tahunan tanpa dipertanggungjawabkan bagi tuntutan kemalangan terdahulu.
Saravanan berkata polis wajar mewujudkan agensi berasingan untuk mengendalikan kes kemalangan kerana berdepan ratusan kes seperti itu setiap hari.
Katanya, Bank Negara Malaysia selaku pengawal selia syarikat insurans juga perlu membetulkan keadaan ini dengan segera.
“Langkah tegas perlu diambil untuk mengekang keadaan ini sebelum lebih ramai pengguna jalan raya yang tidak bersalah menjadi mangsa kelopongan undang-undang dan pemandu yang tidak bertanggungjawab.
“Pesalah mesti dihukum, dan mangsa yang tidak berdosa perlu dilindungi menerusi insurans, tanpa kehilangan NCB.”
Sumber: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2021/12/10/henti-tuntutan-insurans-tak-adil-kerajaan-diberitahu/ |
Vehicle insurance premiums likely to remain unchanged |
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Friday, 12 November 2021 11:39 |
November 11, 2021 7:21 PM GEORGE TOWN: Insurance premiums for vehicles are likely to stay at the same level in the coming year despite a lower number of accidents and thefts during the pandemic and lockdown periods.
Lee Yen Ming, who runs a Bank Negara-approved insurance comparison site, said this was because the number of claims had remained high before the pandemic.
He said before the pandemic, the claim ratios “had exceeded 100%” before the lockdowns began.
Despite fewer claims made during the lockdown periods, premiums were likely to stay the same, as insurers try to recoup their losses, Lee said. “Insurers will have to account for some of the shortfalls faced before the pandemic,” the PolicyStreet.com CEO said during a webinar today.
Lee anticipated that future calculations of insurance premium payments would go high-tech, based on telematics.
Telematics involves using a tracker fitted into a car to determine how gently or roughly a vehicle is driven. It also helps in the recovery of a vehicle in case of theft, as it is built-in with global-positioning system (GPS) tracking.
Lee said insurers would then reward customers who drove well and economically under this telematics system, offering discounts on their annual premiums.
He said the telematics move will see the phasing out of traditional, fixed-price premiums currently in use, giving way to personalised premiums based on the driver’s risk profile.
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'Scammer online' menjadi-jadi |
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Friday, 12 November 2021 11:14 |
November 12, 2021 @ 7:00am Kuala Lumpur: Sebanyak 8,162 kes penipuan e-dagang dengan kerugian berjumlah RM57.73 juta dilaporkan di seluruh negara sepanjang tahun ini hingga 31 Oktober lalu.
Pegawai Penyiasat (Pelaburan Bersindiket atau Lain-lain Jenayah) Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah dan Komersial (JSJK) Bukit Aman Asisten Komisioner Mohd Sa'adon Sabirin berkata, trend penipuan e-dagang dilaporkan terus meningkat jika dibandingkan pada 2018 dengan 3,318 kes membabitkan kerugian berjumlah RM22.39 juta.
"Keadaan bertambah teruk pada 2020 apabila pandemik Covid-19 melanda yang mana 5,848 kes penipuan e-dagang dilaporkan apabila lebih ramai orang membeli dalam talian.
"Statistik ini adalah melibatkan mereka yang ditipu dan membuat laporan namun saya percaya masih ada tidak membuat laporan polis," katanya pada sesi webinar Penipuan e-dagang: Barang Hilang, Duit Melayang anjuran Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), malam kelmarin.
Mohd Sa'adon berkata, jumlah keseluruhan kerugian dicatatkan bagi penipuan e-dagang untuk tempoh 2018 hingga Oktober lalu adalah bernilai RM149 juta.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia terdedah kepada penipuan e-dagang berikutan peningkatan trend pembelian dalam talian secara tidak langsung boleh menjadi mangsa penipuan jika tidak berhati-hati ketika membuat urusan jual beli.
Pada masa sama, beliau meminta agar mangsa penipuan e-dagang untuk membuat laporan polis bagi membolehkan maklumat dan data berkaitan scammer dikumpul untuk tindakan selanjutnya.
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