The indifference and inefficiency of DBKL is made worse by the MCO

By YS Chan

 

FOR reasons best known to itself, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) decided to send out “Parcel Rent Bill 2021” by post to registered addresses of apartment owners instead of handing them in bulk to the condominium’s management office as it used to do previously.

The addresses provided to DBKL were given years ago, while buyers were waiting for new apartments to be completed. In my case, it was 14 years.

Instead of posting to former addresses, DBKL should just mail them to the addresses that it is charging for parcel rent.

But what is more shocking is that the RM22 rent can only be paid upon producing the actual bill, as demanded by a counter staff at the DBKL’s Desa Pandan office, after I showed her my last year’s bill, which has all the necessary details including barcode and QR code.

I can understand post offices would require the actual bill, as they need to keep the lower portion for submission to DBKL. But cashiers at DBKL payment counters are expected to process such payments, as they could easily gain access to its internal system.

To pick up the actual bill from the old address could mean inter-district or interstate travel for many owners, which is not possible until travel restrictions are lifted.

Although the deadline is by Nov 30 and only a RM3 penalty imposed after that, I like to settle bills as soon as they are received.

Also, there is no guarantee that bills posted will reach intended recipients, and those received could later be misplaced. So, why is DBKL treating the actual bill as if it is a currency note that must be produced to make payment?

I tried to pay online but after keying in the account number, the response was ‘wrong’. If the payment system is not user friendly to both the public and staff, it should be overhauled.

Also, the counter staff appeared to be nonchalant as she did not try to address my predicament, or felt it was pointless to do so as her superiors do not bother. DBKL can easily be transformed to be a more caring and efficient if the powers that be are sincere.

All that is needed is a mobile app for customers to give an immediate rating upon completion of transaction. The staff will not only buck up, but the ambiance will also change for the better when they become more customer-friendly and not acting like government officials. – Feb 19, 2021

 

YS Chan is Asean Tourism Master Trainer for travel agencies, master trainer for Travel & Tours Enhancement Course and Mesra Malaysia (both programmes under Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture). He is also a tourism and transport industry consultant and writer.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.

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