A PLANNING manager successfully made his consumer tribunal case against an employment agency for providing a maid who was medically unfit to care for his elderly father-in-law.
Liow Jin Kiong, 51, shared his experience while acting as a claimant on behalf of his brother-in-law Tissot Low, 50, who is currently working in Taiwan.
The tribunal heard that Low had visited the agency’s office in Taman Perling, Johor Baru, in March last year, seeking a maid to care for his father.
“My 70-year-old father-in-law suffered a stroke in mid-July last year,” said Liow when met outside the Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal at Menara Ansar in Johor Baru.
Liow and Low went back to the agency twice – on July 22, 2025, as the agency had yet to furnish a maid’s profile, and on July 24, 2025, to sign the paperwork and pay RM21,800 to secure a maid.
Liow said a 45-year-old Indonesian maid came to Low’s house in Taman Perling on July 25 to start work under a two-year contract.
“Between July and the third week of December, she had no problems doing her work.
“She began falling sick on Dec 28,” he said.
“Our family took her to a clinic for a medical check-up on Jan 4, 2026.
“The doctor who examined her discovered chronic festering wounds on her thighs.”
Liow said the maid also tested positive for an infectious disease, which she admitted to the doctor that she had been living with for about two years.
“The agency did not disclose her medical condition to our family.
“The doctor also issued a letter confirming she was unfit to take care of my father-in-law,” he said.
Liow said the family spent RM2,240 on the maid’s medical bills and RM698 on her airfare back to Indonesia for treatment there.
Tribunal president Lee Chee Thim ordered the respondent to refund RM10,920 to the claimant within two weeks.
Those who need assistance can contact Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal at 07-227 1755/ 1766 or visit its office at Level 17, Menara Ansar, Jalan Trus, Johor Baru.
The office is open from 8am to 5pm from Mondays to Thursdays and 8am to 4pm on Fridays, except during national or Johor state public holidays.
