BY JADE CHAN

MBPJ’s Meet the Customers Day is held on the first Friday of each month, from 8am to noon, at the council’s headquarters in Jalan Yong Shook Lin, Petaling Jaya.

FRUSTRATED with the lack of action following his first complaint, factory manager K. Subramaniam went to the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) headquarters in Jalan Yong Shook Lin to lodge a second complaint in person.

“Back in May, I lodged a complaint on behalf of my workplace about faulty street lights along Persiaran Industri in Bandar Sri Damansara.

“A 1km stretch of the road has been in darkness for months as the street lights have not been fixed, posing a danger to our workers and the public,” he said, adding that the factory had staff working on shifts round the clock.

Subramaniam said this when met at MBPJ’s Meet the Customers Day (Hari Bertemu Pelanggan).

“I was told by the counter personnel that the problem would be resolved within three working days, and to call the officer in charge if it was not settled by then,” he said.

An SS4 resident who wanted to be known as Steven found out about the Meet the Customers Day through the newspapers and dropped by the council office to personally lodge a complaint.

“About a week ago, I discovered that a fence had been installed around Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya, making it more difficult for visitors to access the park.

“Having been a frequent park user for the past 15 to 20 years, I observed that residents who lived in SS3, SS4 and SS5 would park their cars in SS6 then cross over to the park via a pedestrian bridge in front of the Kelana Jaya post office,” said the 72-year-old.

Steven also suggested that MBPJ install a small gate at the fence and only have the gate locked at night.

He felt that MBPJ’s Meet the Customers Day should be held during after-office hours or on weekends, to make the event accessible to more people.

MBPJ’s Meet the Customers Day is held on the first Friday of each month, from 8am to noon, at the council’s headquarters offering residents a platform to meet MBPJ officers to lodge complaints or get feedback from the council.

During the August session, StarMetro observed that fewer than 10 individuals turned up to seek clarification or lodge complaints.

MBPJ communications officer Hasbullah Juyahir said the Meet the Customers Day was just one channel for the public to lodge complaints.

Other platforms include MBPJ’s 24-hour hotline, MBPJ’s website and Facebook. The council would also have a complaints counter at selected public events on weekends.

“The only difference is that complainants can meet officers from the relevant departments directly about their issues at the Meet the Customers Day,” said Hasbullah.