YOURSAY | ‘Grab does not own the car. They did not pay a single cent for it and it belongs to the driver/owner.’
Malaysia proposes RM86 million fine on Grab for abusive practices
MW: No business - monopoly or not - will allow their staff, contractors, dealers, et cetera, to advertise their competitors while on the job for them. This nothing to do with monopolies.
I disagree with monopolies and believe competition increases the quality of service to customers, but the Competition Commission (MyCC) needs a better reason to impose a RM86 million fine than the one they are giving now.
Frankie: Stupid as it is, would MyCC chairperson Iskandar Ismail - if he owns say a food chain store - allow his employees to promote his competitor's brand?
Hmmmmmmmm: Indeed, who in their right minds allow their staff to advertise for their competitors?
Def Leppard: If the competitors paid a lucrative amount the drivers, what’s the problem? It is competition for consumers and the riders can benefit from it.
Grab does not own the car. They did not pay a single cent for it and it belongs to the driver/owner. The driver should be allowed to put any advertisements in his own car as he or she likes.
Muruga: It’s a joke, isn't it? It’s like asking the Bersatu president to canvass and vote for MCA in the Tanjung Piai by-election.
In any case, Telekom Malaysia (TM), Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), and so on are monopolies, so why aren’t they fined?
Kalui 64: You fine them RM86 million and we the consumers will suffer when fares go up. Why such drastic action?
Harapan Semua: Well done, MyCC. Grab must not be allowed to abuse its dominant position after the merger with Uber.
Sinan Belawan: Finally, the MyCC is working! It must aim to reach the standards of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Spinnot: How did MyCC arrive at the RM86 million “fine”? Does the Treasury need that sum of money?
Anonymous_1543475877: Iskandar, just because you are given some power you seem to want to abuse it.
Grab did not organise to become a monopoly. Uber left because there was not enough business for two companies.
Since then there are other competitors. You and your gang are free to provide more competition. So why penalise Grab?
I and my friends are office workers and graduate students, and we are thankful for e-hailing services to earn an income during our free time.
You and the transport minister seem to want to kill innovation. Shame on you.
NNFC: At last, big companies are taken to task for abusing employee rights, and now also for making anti-competitive moves.
Unspin: MyCC is doing the right thing because Grab - largely funded by Softbank - is using capital as a weapon.
Considering the insane amount of capital that Grab is raising via Softbank and private equity funds, it is difficult for smaller companies to compete with them.
Case in point is Foodpanda. They were doing fine until Grab muscled into their food delivery territory. As a result, jobs are lost.
If Grab is allowed to achieve its ambition of being the super-app or super-shop to everybody, prices will surely go up because Grab needs to eventually stop bleeding cash and make a profit.
Anonymous_3c17b8f6: What has MyCC got to do with the drivers? Drivers are like Grab’s staff or contractors. That's a case for the Industrial Relations Department or a union.
Even if Grab’s terms are bad, aren't the drivers free to leave and join another e-hailing service or even get a taxi licence? This sounds like someone just wants to trip up a company.
Anonymous 2405371458107314: Grab should not be allowed to charge consumers more than normal taxi fare.
Recently, Grab has been gouging consumers by charging fares that are significantly higher than normal taxi fares.
Anonymous_1371555221: Why not go after the taxis? There were subsidies for installing gas tanks in the taxis, and the natural gas is about RM10 per full tank.
And yet, the customer still pays exorbitant fees. Worse still, the cars are too old and in poor condition.
Charlie Chan 13: Taxi drivers have all been lazy sometimes and are not keeping their cabs clean. Some cheat customers.
PicknGo is a good service that has some good drivers. There are errant drivers who do not keep their cabs clean. Usually, taxis smell bad and some drivers have broken seat liners and what not.
Grab is doing a good job but their customer reporting system is very flawed. They should have a real person taking customer service calls not just provide an FAQ-like menu where you cannot provide the full complaint.
Lord Denning: 1. Ride and fare accepted - RM8. 2. Ride is cancelled by driver 3. Rider calls again for a ride - fare is significantly higher!
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