You were tone deaf, Telekom Malaysia

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 18 Feb 2019 4:37PM · 27 Comments

BELOW is a picture of my 88 – almost 89-year-old – father at the TMPoint branch in Sunway today. Sad, isn’t it? He’s tired, frustrated and in considerable pain.

Here’s why I blame you, Telekom Malaysia

On January 17, I contacted the TMPoint call centre to enquire about terminating an account. My parents have been living in Kuantan for well over 50 years and have been TM customers for about that long as well. After my dad had a bad fall in Kuantan and subsequent surgery in Petaling Jaya in October last year, my parents realised that they would have to make their move to Petaling Jaya permanent. And they set about putting their affairs in order.

When I enquired about terminating their TM land line, the call centre informed me that I had to:

  1. Give 30 days’ notice – which we did.
  2. Pay any outstanding payments due sometime between day 16 and day 30 – which we did.
  3. With five days of those 30 days expiring, I had to take my dad, along with the original phone set (yes, from over 50 years ago!), along with his original identity card, to a TMPoint outlet, for him to inform them of the termination in person. This had to be done within five days – no delays permitted, otherwise, I was warned, the whole two processes would have to be repeated. And I would have to pay an additional RM66 for the missing phone set.
  4. I explained that he was 88 years old, in a wheelchair and not mobile, and asked if I could bring a letter authorising me to act on his behalf, along with his original IC. I was told this was not allowed.
  5. I was instead asked to get a doctor’s letter to prove his situation. I explained that he wasn’t ill, merely immobile, and if I had to take him to a doctor to get a letter certifying the same, then I might as well take him to TMPoint. But I was told, no, that’s the way it would have to be.
  6. After the call, I wrote to your call centre to explain the issue and seek your help. I didn’t even get an acknowledgement, let alone a reply. (I can provide you with screenshots of the chat.)

You were tone deaf to our request for help, Telekom Malaysia

The window given to us to visit the TMPoint centre was day 31-35 from the date of termination. Day 31 fell on February 16 (Saturday) and day 32 on February 17 (Sunday), which I assumed meant the outlets would be closed.

Today, day 33, I took my father, as instructed, to the nearest TMPoint. I had checked online, and the closest to our home in Jalan Gasing was TMPoint Bandar Sunway, so we went there. We found the outlet without any difficulty, but then couldn’t get him in as there is one step up into the outlet, and no ramp for the wheelchair. We managed to lift him in after some difficulty. (You can see a picture of the step below.)

There were no customers at the outlet. We tried to get a service number but the machine had run out of paper (at 9.30 am?). There were two people on duty – a young lady, and a young man, who was asleep at his desk (see picture below).

The young lady asked what we needed, and when I explained, she said “Go to Taipan, we can’t do it here. We are a dealer”. No sympathy, no offer to help, no proactive customer service attitude at all.

She was tone deaf to our request for help

I explained that we were told to come at any TMPoint, that I had looked at the website, and it didn’t state anywhere on it that this was a dealership, rather than a TM retail centre (see screenshot below).

She repeated: “Tak boleh buat sini, pergi Taipan.” (“You can’t do it here, go to Taipan”). She also mentioned that TM Customer Service had repeatedly been sending customers to do termination at this outlet, despite them being a mere dealership, and the outlet had repeatedly requested that TM Customer Service stop doing it, to no avail.

You were tone deaf to your own partner’s request for help

I asked if she could call the TM Call Centre for advice, which she did. They asked to speak to me and repeated the same instructions, ad infinitum – “take him to Taipan, he has to go in person etc, etc”.

I asked the call centre executive if I could speak to a supervisor, and was told I couldn’t.

Tone deaf, again

I explained that I would be willing to send the required documentation to any outlet – “Timbuktoo if required” – but could they just acknowledge that my father had come to the TMPoint outlet, as instructed, to inform them of his request for termination in person.

They absolutely refused, and the call centre refused to accept this as well.

Tone deaf, again

I asked to speak to the TMPoint centre manager, but was told that he/she has not yet come to work (this was way past 10am at an outlet that starts operations at 8.30am, according to the website).

Tone deaf, again

By this time, my father was already in considerable pain, so I told the call centre staff that I was taking him home, and I left my number with her with a request to call for a follow up.

I made clear that we had done what we were asked to do, and that TM had failed on its side, therefore the onus was on TM to take the next step. I have not received any call from TM to follow up.

Tone deaf, you think?

I understand you have standard operating procedures, Telekom Malaysia. But surely, serving 30 million Malaysians, and especially those who have been your customers for more than half a century, you can show a little empathy? Shame on you. – February 18, 2019.

* Caroleena D’Cruz reads The Malaysian Insight. 

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • Ya all the malay staff employed by TM are lazy n Not Helpfull.

    Posted 5 years ago by Tharan Singh · Reply

    • Racist much?

      Posted 5 years ago by Luke Skywalker · Reply

    • This is absolutely unnecessary. The author took time and care to pen her letter of complaint. You couldnt be less of a buffoon with your comment?

      Posted 5 years ago by P P · Reply

    • Our National Telecoms Agency. This behaviour is absolutely disgusting and we should push this matter into mainstream discourse. Apart from the authors personal anguish, this is a blatant disregard for the values we hold as a society and can not be allowed to be perpetuated by a national institution.

      Posted 5 years ago by P P · Reply

    • You sounded bitter. What happened? Were you rejected by a Malay lady?

      Posted 5 years ago by Mokhzani Mohamad · Reply

    • He/she might be racist, but it's also the fact statistics that 95+% of TM staffs are Malay, GLCs themselves already shown the racist in employment through statistics.

      Posted 5 years ago by Shaz Ramlan · Reply

  • You cannot do any Service termination through dealers. You need to go to the main TM branches. this branch is definitely not TM own branches but dealers.

    Posted 5 years ago by Oli oh · Reply

  • Itulah jadinya bila keuntungan jadi ukuran, rasa peduli sudah tiada. Tanpa perasaan tanpa rasa malu, warga tua sudah tiada nilai. Elok TM dipecahkan kpd 6 syarikat berlainan -TM utara , TM selatan TM etc TM sabah TM sarawk TM Labuan supaya mereka bersaing

    Posted 5 years ago by Zaini Nordin · Reply

  • Itulah jadinya bila keuntungan jadi ukuran, rasa peduli sudah tiada. Tanpa perasaan tanpa rasa malu, warga tua sudah tiada nilai. Elok TM dipecahkan kpd 6 syarikat berlainan -TM utara , TM selatan TM etc TM sabah TM sarawk TM Labuan supaya mereka bersaing

    Posted 5 years ago by Zaini Nordin · Reply

  • Itulah jadinya bila keuntungan jadi ukuran, rasa peduli sudah tiada. Tanpa perasaan tanpa rasa malu, warga tua sudah tiada nilai. Elok TM dipecahkan kpd 6 syarikat berlainan -TM utara , TM selatan TM etc TM sabah TM sarawk TM Labuan supaya mereka bersaing

    Posted 5 years ago by Zaini Nordin · Reply

  • You sounded bitter. What happened? Were you rejected by a Malay lady?

    Posted 5 years ago by Mokhzani Mohamad · Reply

  • BOO TM

    Posted 5 years ago by Julian Nagelsmann · Reply

  • It is very common in Malaysia to pass the responsibilities to others and we the consumers and users are given the run around the merry-go-round. It is not only at Telekom.

    Posted 5 years ago by T E · Reply

  • I had a complete Streamyx breakdown for at least two weeks in December 2017. For about six months before that service had been intermittent, and often very, very slow. The technicians who came to fix the problem found no problem with my internal wiring. I went to TM's main office in Burmah Road, Penang to find out actual cause and a technician, after checking their reports, found that there was an underground cable breakdown in my area. I wrote to TM HQ and enquired why there was no co-ordination between the breakdown teams and the technicians who are sent to customers' premises. I also asked for a pro-rated waiver of charges for the period service was totally out and intermittent. Two or three times I received calls from TM customer service asking for the period of the service outage as they wanted to work out the rebate to be given. Till today, I haven't got the rebate yet! And Streamyx is still not stable yet, sometimes being very slow.

    Posted 5 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

  • I had some problem with TM net over my internet sometime back and it took them one week to rectify. I gave them all negative comments on their survey. Then they call me to find out what happen. I am a forty year subscriber and not happy with their service. It seems they are all sleeping on their job from head to tail of the department . Wake up. You are all being paid

    Posted 5 years ago by Ravindran Krishnasamy · Reply

  • The come in person part is sad in 21st century. They are trying their best NOT to let you terminate

    Posted 5 years ago by GHAZAIME GHAZALI · Reply

    • I don't think the 'come in person part' is in the terms and conditions of the service agreement. If so no need to comply if it is inconvenient for you.
      Just inform them to terminate. Then don't pay the bills. They will later terminate the line for non-payment of the bills. They will off-set any amounts due against the deposit and claim the balance if any. Requiring customers to come in person just to terminate a service is shameful in this age of technology when it can be done online. For information I was told they don't replace telephone equipment if found faulty after the warranty period. I have to replace mine on my own and have thrown away the one supplied by them. So how to return their equipment if I decide to terminate my line?

      Posted 5 years ago by Chin Kok Hai · Reply

  • Telekom Malaysia - a 19th century gang of useless eaters operating in the 21st century like a bullock-cart with square wheels, only because of its corporate monopoly.

    Posted 5 years ago by Antares Maitreya · Reply

  • How very true every word of it.

    Posted 5 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • to be fair, all termination process in Telcos (Maxis, Red One, Celcom, Digi, etc) are Pain In The A$$ in general!

    Posted 5 years ago by Shaz Ramlan · Reply

    • digi u can use email for termination. still much better than TM

      Posted 5 years ago by Paz walker · Reply

  • I faced a very similar situation with TM. I asked to do a name change for my grandma's account to my name. She's 93 and they insisted that I brought her to a TM Point to do this. I kept resisting and even had documents proving I had been paying for the account for the past few years and that I had authority on the account but they wouldn't budge at first. Went around in circles, even going to a branch but was turned away because one could "only pay bills" there. Ultimately I did it without having her go to the store but it wasn't without a lot of live chats, phone calls to management, unnecessarily going to a branch that DIDN'T do terminations or name changes, waiting in line and filling out countless forms. Now there's a credit on the account which they are insisting on issuing a cheque for under her name. She doesn't have a bank account. Their support staff sound like bots and don't have any empathy at all. This is one of many problems that I am still facing with TM with no resolution in sight.

    Good on you for writing this. I always meant to but never took action. This is inspiring and I can't wait to publicize the embarrassing conversations I've had with TM showcasing the archaic policies set in place and terrible staff they have running the company.

    Posted 5 years ago by Anonymous Right Now · Reply

  • Dear TM,
    You are still in business because of us!

    Posted 5 years ago by Stanley Sinnappen · Reply

  • i have been TM customer from 2008 as i remember, untill 2018 im not receive any single benefit for being loyal to TM. even i ask many time for discount because streamyx price doesn't make sense.but they only give favor to people have fibre unifi only. the most bullshit part is. now they make certain TMpoint center for streamyx termination also that bullshit 30days notice that doesn't have before . they trying make streamyx user stay in line as long as possible, i subscribe streamyx at TM point pandan indah and it was actualy center untill 2018, but i have to terminate at TMpoint Muzium . what kind bullshit is that. why the place that before can do termination but suddenly cannot. sound bs right?

    Posted 5 years ago by Paz walker · Reply

  • When I changed my phone about 10 years ago, Telekom insisted that I produce the phone which they provided me in 1972. As I was leaving the Telekom office, a security guard told be to get an old phone from a junk yard, smear some dirt on it and give them. Most of these Telekom employees were not even born then.

    Posted 5 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • Telekom and all GLCs must be reformed and not continue to be a hindrance to Malaysia's progress.

    Posted 5 years ago by Steven Ong · Reply

    • With all the above comments on the poor and unwarranted services provided by Telecom Malaysia which are fortunately backed up by photos and screen-shots to prove that these are not complaints just submitted just for the fun of it, the question that arises in my mind is, what is the Minister in charge of MCMC going to do about these valid complaints? Over to you Mr. Minister.

      Posted 5 years ago by SK Tio · Reply