A contractor who collected payments from a customer without finishing a home renovation project must now refund him.
Penangite Lim Wei Choon, who is an auditor, said he paid the contractor RM59,500 for an RM80,370 project to renovate his new three-room condominium at Gelugor on the island.
“In total, the RM59,500 payment was made in five tranches to the company’s account via bank transfers,” he said when met outside the Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal at Menara Ansar, Johor Baru.
The 30-year-old claimant who works in Singapore, said he first deposited RM7,500 on Feb 15, 2025, followed by RM14,000 on June 7, 2025, RM18,000 on June 8, 2025, and RM7,000 and RM13,000 on July 1.
Lim said the renovation work started on March 15 last year, a month after the initial RM7,500 was deposited into the company’s bank account.
He said the renovation included built-in-wardrobes for the three bedrooms, furnishing for the living room, kitchen cabinets, plaster ceiling, electrical and wiring, as well as painting.
“The contractor promised to finish the project by August last year,” said the claimant.
However, Lim said only the basic renovation work was completed while important items such as cabinets and air conditioning were not provided and the work had been abandoned since August 14, 2025.
Lim said he was referred to the contractor by a friend who lives in the 49-storey single-block condominium and hired the same contractor for their unit’s renovation in 2024.
“The contractor promised to refund RM43,700 to me, after I lodged a police report at the Jalan Patani police station in George Town on Oct 20, 2025,” he said.
However, the contractor only returned RM15,000 to him and still owes him RM28,700.
Tribunal president Hafez Zalkapli ordered the contractor to refund the remaining RM28,700 to the claimant within two weeks.
Those in need of assistance can call the tribunal at 07-227 1755/1766, or visit Level 17, Menara Ansar, Jalan Trus, Johor Baru. Operation hours are 8am to 5pm Mondays to Thursdays, and up 4pm on Fridays. Closed on public holidays.
