Conned of RM80,000 by subsidised diesel supplier
Published on: Thursday, October 12, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Several fishing boat operators claim to have been conned of some RM80,000 in a deal with a supplier of subsidised diesel since June.According to one of the victims representing Teras Maju Fishing Enterprise, Fan Wai Keong, the supplier, located in Sepanggar, made their clients pay a full advance deposit for the following months before providing the subsidised fuel to them. It was unlike other suppliers who delivered on-the-spot upon immediate payment.
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The price of subsidised diesel is RM1.65 per litre and suppliers must be licensed by the State Government and Fisheries Department. Fan said the reason they sought this supplier was due to the long waiting period for subsidised diesel and in view of there being many fishing companies in the area. Normally, the fuel is provided after three or four days in Kota Kinabalu and hence, the belief that the firm in question was a better alternative.However, Fan said the company shut down around June after only six months in operation.
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To make things worse, they refused to reimburse the balance deposited by Fan's company (Teras Maju) and few others."We are not the only victims, another three to four companies were also swindled and this supplier owes us almost RM80,000 altogether," said Fan.
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Fan lodged a police report in the hope of getting back his RM20,392.35 deposit for 12,359 litres of diesel. Fan said he referred the matter to the Consumer Claims Tribunal but found it did not come under its jurisdiction. The case is now being referred to the courts."We (Teras Maju) did not doubt the supplier as the enterprise was well-received at the start of their operation. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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