Malaysian consumers had to endure a huge loss of more than RM360 million last year due to unsatisfatory products and poor service quality in various sectors.

According to the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC), the figure was based on 54,618 complaints from consumers it had received last year, compared to 48,563 complaints in 2016.

The E-Commerce (online shopping) sector recorded the highest number of complaints with a total of 10,615 complaints, followed by retail services (5,159) and telecommunication and broadband services (4,950), NCCC’s Legal and Policy Division senior manager Shabana Naseer Ahmad said.

"Last year, many online shoppers were unhappy due to the inability to obtain their refunds from merchants or the refund process took too long.

"Based on the complaints received, many consumers asked for a refund because the goods they received were damaged, they waited too long and did not receive the product within the guaranteed date specified by the seller,” she said at a press conference on the 2018 NCCC Annual Report in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

Also present was NCCC chief operating officer T Saravanan.

Shabana (above) said grouses related to retail services were mostly related to service quality due to the dissatisfaction of consumers with the product, service and the attitude of the sales personnel even before a purchase was made.

According to her, billing was the highest number of complaints under the telecommunication and broadband services sector, which comprised unsubscribed services, termination and overcharges or incorrect billing for a different package that was wrongly subscribed.

3,465 complaints on housing and real estate

Shabana added that the NCCC also received a total of 3,465 complaints against the housing and real estate industry, and most of the complaints were related to unsatisfactory renovation service, such as poor quality of work that led to defects in the property, besides delay in the renovation.

“Although coming in at seventh place in the number of complaints received, with a monetary value of a staggering RM133 million, the housing and real estate industry topped the total value attached to complaints received under a specific sector,” she said.

Shabana said almost 60 to 70 percent of the complaints received by NCCC from the consumers had been resolved.

Saravanan said the NCCC annual report enabled consumers and regulators to better understand the industries.

“We want the government, especially the enforcement unit, to look into this report and see what the gaps of consumer protection and consumer welfare are. Consumers are also advised to make complaints to the right channel,” he said.

- Bernama