Something ain't right!
Chong Yen
Long
When computer purchase via the Employees Provident Fund scheme was first announced,
members jumped with glee and joy - at last, the government is lending a helping hand to
promote computer literacy and Internet age of Knowledge-economy culture among
Malaysians. A noble goal in an increasingly competitive global environment.
However,
as with an human initiative, there are loopholes that invite temptation. A Sin Chew Jit
Poh report on Oct 31 said a substantial number of EPF contributors had bought invoices
from computer vendors in order to withdraw funds from their EPF accounts, an abuse EPF
said it would prevent by routing the sales via a one-stop centre.
Hence after a
period allowing for direct withdrawals and receiving reports that many members had
allegedly diverted the funds for use other than buying a computer, EPF roped in Pos
Malaysia into the picture, yes, to diversify into computer sales, a quantum leap from
the teeny weeny stamps and aerogrammes!
But trouble is, Pos Malaysia does not
make computers.
So Pos Malaysia roped in a private limited company called Oda Saja.
An
eye-opener of a name indeed - Oda Saja (M) Sdn Bhd - but that's not the end of the
chain. Another trouble is, Oda Saja also does not make computers.
And that's
when the, er - fun or puzzle or indignation or outrage, whatever - begins, as in many
aspects of Malaysian life in recent past.
What's the role of Oda Saja in this
puzzle of a computer sale?
It seems nothing but another transit point - which means
an added cost to the product and immediately anticipated attendant problems like a
delay in attending to customer or after-sales service.
Oda Saja ropes in 10
vendors, flagging off enough brands for variety, including top names like Acer and
Hewlett-Packard.
What is uppermost on the consumers' mind is not so much as variety
but other questions.
After-sales service
Leading off is the cost of the
computer. The customer does not get to bargain as he has to opt for fixed price
products. On the Malaysian scene, computer sales companies have been offering very
competitive packages that come with huge discounts and throw-in peripherals, at one
time including a certain number of hours of computer lessons!
And for a product
that can go "kaput" at the press of a button or a mouse, what about
after-sales service?
In a normal sale transaction, the buyer deals with the seller
and the best price and service is available since no middle-man is involved. In this EPF
scheme, the buyer goes back to Pos Malaysia for redress for any fault or poor service.
But
Pos Malaysia has to refer to Oda Saja, who has to refer to the particular brand
vendor's network of branches, some extensive and others not so.
When asked
whether there would be a delay in after-sales service, Oda Saja chief executive officer
Major (Rtd) Ismail Ahmad told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday that the
post office would send the computer (with a problem) to a branch or contract branch
dealing in that particular brand of computer (EPF computer scheme: Pos Malaysia assures
buyers, Nov 15).
Yes, what about the time frame for redressing a problem? Who's
ultimately responsible - Pos Malaysia, Oda Saja or Acer if I had bought, for example, an
Acer brand?
Pos Malaysia CEO Zainol Mahmood at the same press conference assured buyers
that after-sales service will be rendered promptly. He did not elaborate on what prompt
service means.
He said that postmen would be trained to install and handle the
computers.
But installation of the computer, especially for simple kampung folks,
is just the beginning. What about simple instructions like how to start up the
computer, unravelling the mouse and the various icons, and what's this strange world
called the Internet? (A Jinjang lady may just pop to the postman a quizzical "Can
I also view Man in the Net"?)
Zainol did not address the projected
"delay" the consumer would encounter as the product has to cover more than
one stop. Instead he lamented: "Why is it when you have long queues in the post
office you always write about that, but when you have long queues in banks you do not
write about it?"
This answering-off-tangent is often an art practised by
politicians since they spend a lot of time talking and yakking and chattering, hence
most of them have mastered the ritual of semantics and rhetoric.
Coming from a
CEO of a service sector company - and Pos Malaysia definitely is one! - consumers
taking part in this EPF "One Home One Computer" scheme have cause to worry.
The
tagline in its sales brochure "Ada Pejabat Pos ... Ada Komputer ... ODA
SAJA!!!" rings very cleverly three times over.
Convoluted chain
As
a potential participant, there are many questions in my mind.
Chief of these is:
What is this company called Oda Saja? What's its role in this convoluted chain of what
should basically be a simple one-buyer-one-seller transaction?
What's the added
cost when a third or fourth party is brought into a transaction?
If the
rationale of EPF is to stop the abuse of the original system where some errant member
withdraws the money and splashes it on a television set or even an overseas holiday,
EPF must exercise its mind to come up with better solutions than to react in a
knee-jerk fashion.
Bring in an outside party ... pass on the buck, yes literally
and figuratively!
I am sure EPF can use its imagination and ingenuity to devise
better and more fool-proof options than Order Only!
I smell a rat somewhere.
Something ain't right here
