Unable to get phone lines at their shops - The Star

May 6, 2008

TWO businessmen are hopping mad that they are unable to get telephone services from Telekom Malaysia for their Taman Pusing Hijau shop houses.

The duo, Liew Kok Hoong and Tan Lea Hing, said they had been applying for services at their shop houses, located at Pusing, about 20km from Ipoh, since last year.

“When there was no news, we re-applied in early March this year,” said the 42-year-old Liew, who owns an insurance agency.

However, in the middle of March, Liew received an SMS from Telekom Malaysia informing him that services to his shop house could not be provided as there were no telephone cables.

What riled Liew was that his house, which was located a mere 500m behind the shop houses, had telephone services.

“Why can’t Telekom Malaysia just provide services for our row of 12 shop houses?” he asked.

“Being in the insurance sector, telephone services is very important,” he added.

Tan, 39, said without the fixed line, he could not use the fax machine.

“Now our only means of communication is through the mobile phone,” he said.

Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan said a check with Telekom Malaysia Perak headquarters in Ipoh revealed that the company refused to provide the services as they were not cost-effective.

“It is ridiculous for Telekom Malaysia to give the reason as they should think of their social and corporate responsibility to the people,” she said.

Telekom Malaysia Berhad Perak branch business support assistant manager Hamdan Saad, who met Fong later, said the complaints had been noted.

“It will be forwarded to higher authorities,” he said.