Crying foul over runaway Indon maids

A BUSINESSMAN, who had three Indonesian maids running away, claimed that the maid agency was in cahoots with the maids after finding two of them in an apartment allegedly belonging to the agent.

The 34-year-old businessman said his family had paid the agency RM11,780 to hire two Indonesian maids in June but one ran off after working less than a month at their home in Air Itam in Penang.

He said they got a replacement maid on Sept 3 after having to pay an additional RM1,300 as levy and other charges to the agency but the new maid and the other one ran away on Oct 13.
Unable to contact the agent, the busi-nessman said he and his sister conducted a search in the neighbourhood and found the two maids on Oct 15 in an apartment said to be the property of the agent.

He said the agent refused to refund the money paid for the three maids, adding that he lodged a report at the Farlim police station on Oct 15 as he suspected that the agent was in cahoots with the maids.

He also sought the help of the Penang MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau which held a press conference on Saturday.
Bureau chief Tan Yok Cheng, who was unable to contact the agent, urged him to come forward to settle the problem.

Efforts by The Star to contact the agent were in vain.

Let down by maid agency

GURMIT of Kuala Lumpur is dissatisfied with the agency where he applied for a domestic maid.He says he was promised a maid who could perform household chores. He paid RM6,680 as required by Agency Pekerjaan Haz Sdn Bhd.The amount was for six months of the maid’s salary in advance, processing fee, which includes the agency’s commission and the maid’s documentation.

He says when the maid arrived, she could not perform basic chores such as cleaning and looking after the children, and she was always feeling tired.“Worried about my children’s safety, I took her back to the agency,” he says.The agency then offered a replacement, but he refused.“I felt cheated and I dare not take the risk again,” GURMIT says.“My wife and I both work. We don’t need someone unreliable. With a maid like that, I will always be worried about my children’s safety.”

Disappointed with the services provided by the agency, GURMIT demanded a refund. The agency only refunded RM2,800 — the six months’ advance salary for the maid.“The agency had not given me a maid they promised, but they had gained their commission. I lost RM4,000 because of the agency’s mistake.”

- A SPOKESMAN from Agency Pekerjaan Haz says when a client rejects the maid given by the agency with a solid reason, the agency will provide a replacement, but the documentation fee has to be borne by the client.

She says clients are required to sign a form before paying the fee to obtain a maid.The form clearly states the company’s policy that it would only refund the advance salary if the client rejects the maid.

She also refutes the claim that the maid was unable to perform basic chores because the maids are trained before being sent to the clients.The spokesman says she will meet GURMIT to clear the matter.

Riled up over maid agency

HANISAH of Sungai Besi has been waiting for a maid for nearly four months.

She claims that she paid a local maid agency RM2,500 in April and was promised a maid in two weeks.“I got a maid a month later, but according to the agency’s director, the maid is only temporary. I was told that if everything turns out well, the agency would make arrangements to appoint her as my permanent maid,” she says.

However, the maid refused to stay after two weeks.One and a half months later, HANISAH asked for a refund but was unable to reach the agency’s director. She was always given excuses instead.“At the end of July, the director’s assistant agreed to give the refund in the form of a cheque.“An employee brought the cheque and a letter stating that our contract has been cancelled but I declined to accept it for fear that the cheque might bounce,” HANISAH says.

Then the agency agreed to deposit half of the payment into her bank account last Friday but she has yet to see the money.“I asked the director to fax a copy of the bank-in slip but she refused,” she says.

- DIRECTOR of Agensi Pekerjaan Roslena Sdn Bhd Roslena Hisham denies the allegation against her agency.“It is untrue. We sent HANISAH four maids, including the temporary one.”

Roslena claims that the maids’ wages were paid by her agency and she did not get anything from HANISAH.“I banked in half of the payment last Friday but it will take a week to 10 days to be processed.“HANISAH will only get the money next week.“I will refund the other half later in the week,” she says.

The director alleges that she had to endure constant pressure from HANISAH and that she had not made any excuses for not being reachable as she was outstation on business.“I am trying to be as professional as I can but it’s not easy when dealing with a difficult client.“My agency has to go through numerous procedures to acquire maids and it takes time,” she says.

Treat bosses of maids fairly

Tuesday August 28, 2007

I HAVE had my fair share of hiring maids and I feel it is rather unfair for employers to be charged so much in agency fees to get a maid who is incapable.

Looking at how people always perceive a maid to be poorly treated here, I think the Government should also look at how employers are also poorly treated.
The Government should make sure all parties (the employer, agent and maid) are equally happy with each other.

Replacement maids are given to an employer should the current one not measure up to expectations, but there is also additional charge for that.

How can one guarantee the new maid is competent?

EMPLOYER,
Penang.

4-month wait for maid

WHERE is my maid?FAUZIAH, of Subang Jaya, has been waiting for four months after paying a maid agency RM6,000 in February.

“I was promised a new maid by March, before my maid returns to Indonesia when her work permit expires,” she says.After waiting for two months, FAUZIAH felt something was amiss as there was no feedback from the agency.

FAUZIAH claims the agenT cooked up excuses each time she asked for an explanation for the delay.“The agent said the maid was not well so they had to look for a new one. “Why can’t they just send me a new maid as a replacement?”

THE owner of Agensi Pekerjaan Baduri Sdn Bhd, who declined to be identified, denies the agency is making excuses to justify the delay.“We hope FAUZIAH can be patient because my agency has to go through numerous procedures and it's time-consuming.“We will do our best to bring the maid in by this month.”