The Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal has awarded RM1,000 to a human resources officer for poor finishing work carried out by a contractor he had hired.
Tribunal president Lee Chee Thim also ordered the contractor to rectify the problems within two weeks to improve the poor finishings.
“I believe the contractor will be able to address the issue, considering there are no major flaws in the finishings,” said Lee.
Claimant Mohammad Nabil Mohd Latif had in October 2023 hired a contractor to renovate his single-storey house in Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Baru.
The house was purchased by the claimant for about RM400,000 in the secondary market in the same month.
“The total cost of the renovation was RM40,000 and was expected to be completed by December last year,” said Mohammad Nabil when met outside the Tribunal’s office in Menara Ansar, Johor Baru.
“The job was to do floor tiling for the master bedroom, floor and wall tiling for the kitchen, two full-length windows for the living room, door frames for three bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as plastering for the external walls.”
The 30-year-old said he came across the renovation services offered by a company with an office in Plentong, Masai, via its social media account.
“I initially thought that the contractor was running his own company, but the invoices issued were under his father’s renovation company,” said Mohammad Nabil.
“The renovation job was supposed to be completed by mid-December 2023, as my family and I wanted to move in to the new house before this year’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri.”
Mohammad Nabil added that prior to moving in April after Aidilfitri, he detected some flaws in the contractor’s finishing works.
“These included bad finishing for the external walls and two full-length windows for the living room, uneven joints on several kitchen backsplash tiles and a missing tile underneath the master bedroom door.
“The contractor’s father came to do the final touch-up on the external walls.
“At the same time, he told me that his son was no longer working with him.”
The respondent’s father also told the claimant that he would have to deal with his son to rectify the bad finishing works as it was no longer the father’s responsibility.
Those who need assistance in regard to Tribunal matters can call 07-227 1755 or 07-227 1766.
