PETALING JAYA: It was supposed to be about building their dream home but instead, it ended up giving them nightmares – such is the trial faced by many who hired contractors without proper checks.
Amirah Azimah Yusaini, 27, said she felt “abandoned” after her contractor left her Melaka home in a state of disrepair despite her paying RM15,000 for renovations.
“I contacted the company on its Facebook page after seeing advertisements on its services in April last year. It originally quoted me RM16,500 for the renovation, which included wiring, ceiling skirting, loft and security door installation.
“It assured me it would be done within two weeks. But not only did the work drag on for almost two months, the company even tried to get me to pay more, less than two weeks after the renovation began!
“The person I contacted gave excuses like needing to settle his foreign worker issues, his mother’s death and fatigue as reasons for the delay and cost increase,” Amirah Azimah said when contacted.
She said her walls looked unsightly with sloppy paintwork and power sockets poorly installed.
“After a lot of arguing, we grew tired of asking them to re-do the work as it just kept coming out the same. The person kept denying that their work was sloppy but then agreed to give me a RM1,500 discount,” she added. However, Amirah Azimah’s troubles were not over as the newly-fixed ceiling skirting in the kitchen fell apart in December last year, which stopped further renovations.
“Fortunately, the house was unoccupied at the time. I know it was my mistake for trying to rush the renovation, but he was supposed to do his best and now my house is ruined.
“We tried contacting the company to repair it since it is under warranty, but it has yet to send anyone to repair it,” the visual and dimension inspector said.
This proved to be the final straw for the young homeowner who, after purchasing details of the company from the Companies Commission of Malaysia website, filed a complaint with the Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia yesterday.
National Consumer Complaints Centre chief executive officer Datuk Indrani Thuraisingham revealed how a couple got conned on their house renovation.
She said the person had engaged a contractor for a fee of RM45,770, but despite making two payments of 80% of the quoted amount, only 10% of the work was completed and with numerous defects.
Despite attempts to contact the contractor, including police reports and termination notices, the issue remains unresolved.
Indrani said the couple later discovered that the company’s registered addresses were invalid.
