A manufacturing technician was left frustrated when the contractor hired to fix his leaky roof failed to turn up.
Soh Chong Yean was looking forward to having the roof of his single-storey terrace house at Taman Ungku Tun Aminah in Skudai, Johor, fixed.
“Whenever it rains, water enters the second and third bedrooms as well as the car porch,” he said when met outside the Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal at Menara Ansar, Johor Baru.
The 40-year-old claimant, who works in Singapore, said he was approached by a contractor renovating a nearby house.
Soh said the contractor had offered to fix the roof for RM7,500.
He then made a bank transfer of RM5,000 on June 29 and RM3,000 on July 5.
“The total amount was RM8,000, which included RM500 as deposit to skim coat uneven walls at the house,” Soh said.
Skim coating is the process of covering the wall or ceiling with joint compound to hide imperfections, smooth out textures and repair minor damage.
This is typically done before painting to ensure a perfectly smooth and finished look.
Soh had wanted the contractor to skim coat the internal and external walls of his house, and was quoted RM6,500 and RM3,800 respectively.
But first, he asked the contractor to skim coat the walls of the car porch and dining area as a test. However, he found the work unsatisfactory.
“Following this, I decided against skimming the rest of the walls, and told him to just do the roof repairs,” said Soh.
The claimant said the contractor promised to start on the repairs on July 7 but never turned up, and gave various excuses for failing to do the job.
Fed up, Soh filed a case with the Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal in mid-July.
Tribunal president Hafez Zalkapli ordered the respondent to refund RM8,000 to the claimant within two weeks.
Those who need assistance with tribunal matters can call 07-227 1755/1766 or visit the Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal during office hours on Level 17, Menara Ansar, Jalan Trus.
