Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by daryl.k

stupid question

daryl.k — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:11:17 +0800

about a month ago, i got my hands on a new Ultrabook by Asus, namely the UX32VD.

i did a couple of upgrades and the current specs is this:

3rd Gen Core i5-3317u (3MB Cache, 1.7GHz with TB upto 2.60GHz)
10GB DDR3 RAM (2GB Onboard, 8GB Mushkin Essential SODIMM)
512GB Crucial M4 SSD
Win 7 HP 64Bit

i did the RAM + SSD upgrade (which cost me a bomb) believing it will greatly improve the performance and speed.

well, to a certain extend, the startup time of OS is much faster, but launching of programs is nothing to be proud of.

from Windows Experience Index (i know some ppl thinks its crap),
Processor: 6.9
RAM: 6.9
Windows Graphics: 5.8
Gaming Graphics: 6.3
Disk Transfer: 7.9

program launch is fast, but not blazing as i expected. from crystal disk mark, the SSD performance is well within advertised specs.

i'm comparing my notebook's performance with a desktop PC my office's got which has the following specs:

(maybe 1st Gen) i7 870 (8MB cache, 2.93GHz with TB upto 3.6GHz)
4GB RAM
500GB SATA HDD (7200rpm)
Win 7 HP 32bit

this desktop launches programs blazing fast...which makes me kinda wonder, older processor, less memory, HDD but blazing...

now, the real problem i'm currently facing is working with demanding programs such as Adobe Indesign CS6 & Autocad 2012 on my notebook.

i've used Autocad 2008 (32bit) on my previous notebook (3.5yrs old) and it was ok. but with the Acad 2012 (64bit) on my new notebook, the performance is dreadful..it lags a lot even when performing simple tasks and not complicated drawings.

with the Indesign CS6, performance is so-so...again, nothing to be proud of. its ok working with other programs such as MS Office 2010 although launching speed of programs is nothing compared to the Desktop.

i installed the Intel Turbo Boost monitor crap and it shows nothing i don't already know...even working ID CS6 and Acad at same time the processor speed remains at 1.7GHz..

i just need to know, is there something i'm doing wrong? or is there something i'm missing? as to why after i spent crazy amount of money on the SSD i still get mediocre performance notebook? or is it simply because the programs are too demanding (memory & processor) for my notebook?

second question, if i'm buying a new Desktop PC (ready built, not custom) what should i be looking for? i dunno much about desktop PCs but will this >>>> DELL OPTIPLEX 9010 SFF <<<<<<be ok for my daily computing tasks?

Adobe Indesign CS6, Autocad 2012, MS Office 2010 (words, excel, ppt), email + light gaming

and the stupid question, with the new desktop PC, will i be seeing great difference in performance?

thanks for reading! any recommendations & advise will be greatly appreciated!

car bang frm behind

daryl.k — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 14:12:56 +0800

long story short, my father in law (FIL) was driving on the NS highway towards Nilai when he was bang from behind by a Kastam (gomen) registered car...the driver actually fell asleep and whack my FIL's car

we went to make police report and now the problem begins...

normal case, both parties' insurance company will settle amongst themselves and no troubles to the drivers/owners...but because its a freaking gomen registered car, there's no 'insurance company' on their side..meaning, they cover their own vehicles and pay on their own..

sounds simple? pay on their own?? apparently not...we had to make few visits to the police station becos the paper works involved is a lot more than normal case...we had to make repeated visits to JKR as they are also the 'loss adjuster'...once that is done we sent the car to repair?? NO....i wish it was that simple..

no workshop is willing to accept the case once they found out its to do with gomen vehicles...one of the workshop even said they got back only 20% of the repair cost, after 3-4 years waiting...so he's not taking anymore gomen case...

now, we are told we need to hire an independent loss adjuster, get the report, send the car in, repair it, pay for all costs involved, make claim from JKR and HOPE they will pay and HOPE they will pay soon and not 3-4years later...

i spoke to a friend who's in insurance, and he said based on his experience in handling police/army related vehicles involved in accident, this is the case...no running away from it...we can claim from our insurance but the NCB will be gone....

on the side, cost of repair is estimated (by workshop) to be RM2,500...my FIL is retiree...haven't worked for 10years...he's driving a 20years old car..the car is used to drive his grandchildren to & from school everyday...he depends 100% on his children for money every month...and for him to fork our RM2.5k on a repair when he's not even in the fault...it basically means he will have to cut down his meal from 3 a day to 1 a day...cancel Astro, cut off TNB supply until he save enough money for the repair..

this 'policy' is simply ridiculous...to me, as long as you are driving on the road, where there are civilians involved, you are liable...they already cos trouble by whacking ppl's car...and now bringing a whole lot more trouble in the reporting, making claim and repairing...how's that fair? how's that Rakyat Didahulukan??

gomen vehicle or not, all vehicle on road should have insurance...i honestly can't imagine the worse scenario if they cos death to others on the road..what's gonna happen?

this is absolutely BS!!!

Transfer of ownership (brother-to-sister)

daryl.k — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:18:32 +0800

hi, i hope someone with experience or knowledge can help point me to the right direction.

my wife is currently driving a 10years old car, which belong (ownership) to her elder brother who resides permanently in USA and due to various reason, doesn't come back very often.

the deal is this, we're thinking of buying a new car and would like to trade the current car in.

i believe we're not authorized to do trade-in since that car is not under my wife's name.

i'm thinking if there's a way of transferring the ownership of the car from her brother to her name so we can trade in the car. something like him selling the car off to her but no money or bank loan deal involved (e.g. cash buy)

can we send the brother documentations (whatever docs) and he returned them signed? or MUST the brother be here for the transfer of ownership?

what are the papers required? where should i go to for more detail & definite answers?

thanks!

Looking for custom TV cabinet/panel fabricator

daryl.k — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:22:50 +0800

i'm looking for a contractor/fabricator to help me build & replace my existing tv cabinet.

the existing one is built less than about 2yrs+ but there's a problem with it. first, its not straight, in fact, its really really curved.

then it doesn't align with my wall and there's a 10mm gap which the last contractor tried to filled with some sealant. it was ok for a short while but now its cracked a little and the crack is very obvious now.

plus, they didn't get me what i wanted the last time. i wanted a high gloss lacquer finish but i got a matte finished. and the workmanship really really really bad.

anyone interested pls pm me with email add as i already got the design drawn up. similar to the existing one i have with a bit of difference.

the size is roughly 8ft long (2400mm) x 500mm width, with a two drawers on the side.

oh, the price is to include dismantling my current cabinet which is mounted to the wall (see photo below)

[attachmentid=2631193]

so if interested, pls pm me with email add and i will email to you the design i sketched up for quotation.

any fellow forumer with contact can let me know too so i can contact them.

thanks!!

reporting tenant from hell

daryl.k — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:57:30 +0800

i had a truly horrible experience with a previous tenant, read the topic here and the scary part is, even with that lengthy topic, only half the story was told..the remaining half, best not to talk about it unless really need to...

so i found out the TNB bill left unsettled is RM32,000. IWK bill is RM3k...haven't found out how much SYABAS bill is but what the hell, don't think anything can surprise me anymore...

recently found a new tenant, and upon detail inspection, found out -

1) the electrical DB is missing.
2) instead of removing the socket outlets from walls by unscrewing the cables from its sockets..they choose to cut off the cables. the cables are now too short to install new socket outlets & switch points...so i have to redo the entire wiring.
3) they damaged the toilet bowl & seats

missing DB, i can replace, few hundred bucks. damaged toilet seats, i can replace, few hundred bucks. but why wanna cut my wiring??? that cost me a couple thousand to re-wire.

i wanna ask, if there's a forum, website, official or non where i can report my experience, put the previous tenant's name and even photocopy IC up so that others can beware of this f88cked up person....

there should be something like that, a website where all investors or property owners can report on tenants from hell...get their name blacklisted and so for future deals, we can check the website...and not rent it to those in the blacklist list...

if there is such website, i would like to tell the entire story...leading up to me licking my wounds now...

screwed kaw2 by runaway tenant

daryl.k — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:45:04 +0800

i think there's a lot of topics from previous years regarding runaway tenants and never paid electricity bills. i googled this topic and its everywhere on the net, newspaper but it never seem to be ending.

lots of measures advised by netizens and TNB itself to avoid future complications but how effective are they if owners are not getting any form of protection?

skipping the similar stories with the tenant running away without settling the utility bills, i was just informed that the outstanding TNB bill is RM32,000.00!!!! yes, THIRTY TWO fccking THOUSAND ringgit!!! and that's just TNB. i haven't found out how much SYABAS & IWK outstanding yet.

there's only RM6,000 for Utility Deposit. She didn't pay her rental for month of Aug and ran off early Sept.

Although she informed me she's closing shop & moving away, she never informed me she never settled the TNB bill. previously, TNB sends me sms as outstanding reminder and the amount is around RM6-7k. When i forward her the monthly sms and follow up with her, she gave me a story about faulty TNB meter and they replaced it and she already settle the outstanding bla bla bla (but nvr show me any proof of payments made)

if the figure is not crazy like RM30+ thousands, i wouldn't bother to hire laywer and pursue a legal case with her. but since the figure is so big, and she's no where to be found now (last i heard she flew off to Hong Kong) i'm gonna meet a lawyer next week to discuss next course of action. not confident of getting anything back at all but will definitely try. at least with a lawyer letter & a police report, i can go to TNB and nego with them.

i understand i have to settle that amount with TNB no matter what if i want to reconnect back the supply. and i'm not gonna wait for 2-3 years (if that) till this case is over before i can rent it out. i'm willing to settle it first, get it reconnected while at the same time, pursuing a legal case with the previous tenant. i heard from other owners there's a possibility i can nego an 'installment plan' with TNB since they know & understand its not owed by the owner and the previous tenant is now MIA.

why TNB never disconnect their supply even though deposit is only RM3000 (or something)?? well, its a wonder how our national electricity supply company works. for example, if i didn't pay TNB bill for 3months, by right, RED letter will be issued and power will be disconnected. 2 easy ways of getting by this:

A) reconnect it illegally & continue using it until TNB comes around again (which could be a few months or years)
B) before TNB disconnect, pay 1 month bill or pay partial bill. as i'm made to understand, as long as there's payment made, doesn't matter if its 10% or 50% of the outstanding, TNB can't disconnect your supply.

so if i'm those bad eggs tenant, every month i will pay only 30% of the total bill. remaining 70% will be brought forward month after month after month until tenancy expired and i'm leaving the premise. that way, i'm always enjoying discounted TNB supply. the last 3 months before i move out, i don't pay anything at all cos it takes 3 months before a RED letter is issued

same with water bill, one can do the exact same thing and SYABAS can't do nuts about it.

i also read online TNB advising owner to do a Change of Tenancy (CoT)e.g. register the account under tenant's name and not owner's name. i have a little doubt - even if its under tenant's name,
-he/she defaulted the payments and has left the premises.
-supply disconnected.
-owner found new tenant
can the new tenant apply for another CoT and TNB will reconnect supply even though the previous bills was not settled?

anyone with experience or success in pursuing a legal case? i'm not sure how much its gonna costs me but i have to do this. i have a photocopy of the previous tenant's IC though she may not be staying at that address.

is there any website where i report her as a bad fuuking tenant and should be avoided at all costs?

how to make tenants show me proof of payments for utility bills. i know its written in the tenancy agreement but most of the time they will say, "haiiyaa, i left the receipt at home...next month la i show you" is there any way to make this condition just as important as paying on/before 7th of every month?

is it possible to collect 2months rental as Utility Deposit (on top of the 2 months Security Deposit) rather than the standard 1 month?

is there any cons for registering the tenant's name in TNB account?? what does the law says about TNB account? must i provide the account first and they sign a CoT after?? (for new tenancy) or can i just tell the new tenant that they need to apply for TNB account on their own.

lengthy topic...thanks for reading; appreciate any feedback

NORTON IS 3user pack

daryl.k — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:06:16 +0800

need urgent info/help

3 of us purchased the Norton IS 2011 3user pack a couple of months back

all 3 installed on individual pc.

now i want to upgrade my pc, meaning change a complete new PC. can i install the same NIS on my new PC?

the old PC will not be used anymore.

do i need to uninstall NIS from old PC first?

refinancing before full disbursement of loan

daryl.k — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 17:52:14 +0800

wondering anyone with experience can help me

i received vacant possession for my apartment unit around mid-Feb 2009

at that time also received letter from bank (CIMB) telling me i have the option to assume full installment amount with the final 2.5% not released (pending master-strata title release). i agreed to it. so have been paying full installment amount since Mar 2009.

now, the property price has appreciated quite a bit. so i thought wanna refinance and have some cash out.

CIMB bank have this 'HomeXtra' option where it's like a top up loan to the existing loan (for existing CIMB loan customers) and i applied for that. few weeks later, they come back to me telling me they cant proceed with the application because the original loan still not fully disbursed yet.

i now heard that i can personally settle the 2.5% balance owed to the developer of the project.

i really wanted to take up the CIMB HomeXtra package because i'm still within the lock-in period (3years) and with that package i wont be subjected to a 3% penalty cos i'm not settling up the existing loan, just a new 'top-up' loan.

my question:

1) how to go about settling the 2.5% with developer? in CIMB's book, they still have not released the final 2.5%. so after i settle with developer, bank will simply acknowledge & alter my total loan amount minus the 2.5%? and say loan fully disbursed? does it work that way?

2) the 2.5% suppose to be for issuance of strata title. what happen if i have paid up and after 10years strata title still not released?

3) if i decide not to go with the CIMB HomeXtra package, but go for a refinancing package with another bank (i pay penalty & the 2.5%) will bank approve these type of application? is it processable?

4) a banker friend told me he had exact same case with a customer wanted to sell off his unit (different project). but the buyer's bank grant the new buyer offer letter before the owner settle the 2.5%. only with the approved loan did the owner pay off the developer the 2.5%. but in my case, can i get approval before i pay the 2.5%? i can pay 2.5% but i'm scared if i pay first then only apply for refinancing and not approved then i jialat lorr... and this project has been handed over for over 6-7 years..same developer as mine, strata not released yet!

btw, for those who might suggest i refinance with CIMB to avoid penalty, i already checked with CIMB, even if i were to refinance with them i'll still need to pay penalty (WTF!!) but that's what it is apparently...

anyone with any idea?? any bankers can help?

need help/opinion

daryl.k — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:02:24 +0800

unifi tech just came & tried to set up my subscription

i live in a condo/apartment unit.

after set up everything, the IPTV thing running smoothly..no lag whatsoever

but internet is a problem.

first few test using speedtest gives crazy results...up to 50MB at 1 point..but loading a 50sec youtube video takes a while...no difference from streamyx

then the tech tried diagnosing the problem...tried at riser on my floor and tried at the Main Dist Frame room at ground floor and found everything ok...only inside my house i'm not getting the speed

i had my alarm system connected to the telephone line....first the tech suspects its a problem doing that but after disconnecting that line found out its not the culprit

so they have come to a conclusion that its the telephone line connection between my floor's riser & the socket inside my house that's giving the problem. they suggest i replace that connection. the line is also not stable.

they tested the 'margin' of the cable and apparently can get up to 140 at the riser but dropped to about 70 inside my unit...dunno what this margin thing is but the tech say the higher the better...

now, is that cable/connection under me or under the management? should i be replacing them under my cost or should that comes under management's responsibility? since the cable is provided by the developer.

anyone with similar experience? i'm ok with replacing the cable, but what happens if after changing the cable (which involves alot of works) still same problem?? the one thing that me is the IPTV working fine...even now...(i know its running independently but still...how can it work but internet down)

i just finish renovation few months ago

WTA Samsung HDD warranty claim

daryl.k — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:45:44 +0800

my 1.5TB 3.5" samsung external HDD suddenly becomes unreadable.

it was purchased Sep 2009 (last year) and it is still under warranty.

i've called the shop i purchased from and the guy ask me to send to them. but there will be service charge of RM30-RM50 since its passed 1 year.

i ask him can i send to Samsung service centre directly he say they might not accept it.

why wouldn't they accept it if i send by myself?

i'm trying to:

1) Save the RM30-RM50
2) Save more RM since service centre is nearby my place rather than driving to Lowyat.

anyone with experience can advise me?

thanks!

high vehicle price in malaysia

daryl.k — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:22:11 +0800

long story short, malaysian is paying premium money for cars...much much more than many other countries such as UK, Aussie, US, Japan, HK etc etc...

Malaysian gomen collects something like RM3b a year on vehicle tax & import duty (CKD or CBU don't matter)

another reason to keep imported cars high on price is to protect our Proton...

in contrast, the gomen claim its fuel subsidy is in the region of RM5b a year...

imagine if they are equal - fuel sub at RM5b and tax revenue at RM5b...

IF the gomen one day say, "ok, we will stop imposing duty & tax on vehicle and we will also stop fuel subsidy"

that way the gomen dont loose any money, we're paying higher price for fuel but much lower price on cars...

would you agree to it?

and why should we be the one sacrificed to protect pathetic proton? proton dont even wanna make cars anymore..they just wanna buy in bulk from mitsui or lotus or VW and rebrand them as proton...

rojak malaysian languages

daryl.k — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:17:00 +0800

there's been many talks about rojak malaysian languages...The Star paper tried to correct us, and get us malaysian to speak/use proper English in their Mind You Language section which has been running for good few years now...there was this fierce looking indian/sikh lady teaching us to use proper English on the TV...

its not just English, the chinese in Malaysia speaks broken Cantonese & Mandarin. Malay languages are used with english words...

the most famous of all, we tend to end all sentences with a 'la'...i still dun get the 'la' word...

some of the incorrect words we use on a daily basis:

The Chinese Cantonese/Mandarin:

Lui - from the malay word Duit (Money) - suppose to be chin'

Mar-Tar - from malay word mata-mata aka polis (Policeman) - suppose to be 'keng chat' or 'chai yan'

Sien - dunno from where (boring/bored) - suppose to be 'munn'

Liu - dunno from where (holiday) - suppose to be 'wann'

Pan-Nai - from malay word Pandai (smart) - suppose to be 'lek'

Chung Liang as in Shower/Bath - suppose to be 'shi jao'

Bu Je Tau as in Don't Know - suppose to be 'Bu Shiao Te'

The Malay:

using I instead of Saya or Aku

using U instead of Kamu or Anda

Racing instead of Lumba

Gua as in Me

Lu as in You

Mai as in Mari

many many more...

but the question is, should we change the way we speak? or just live with it and be proud that this is the uniqueness of malaysia & its people.

and when we speak to say an English/Mandarin/Cantonese speaking person, should we 'adjust' ourselves and try to speak correctly or should we just stick with speaking in what we know best?

guys with more incorrect example & the correct way of saying will be great!

toto jackpot of almost RM48M won!

daryl.k — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:53:44 +0800

i place bet on toto jackpot on & off from time to time when the jackpot price is really high i.e. more than RM20m...cos i figure anything less it wont be able to fulfill my ALL my dreams...

i've been betting on every draw on the jackpot since the prize money reach RM20m...yesterday, it was almost at RM48m...and yesterday, one lucky guy/girl/uncle/auntie/grandpa/grandma won the ultimate mother prize of them all...RM47,826,929.41 which i believe is the biggest freaking prize money ever won in Malaysia...

needless to say, i'm completely heartbroken...i've been making plans on how to spend the money if i won it...and now my dreams is squashed...back to waking up at 6am and finish work at 6pm..

just bit of info, the possibility of one hitting the jackpot, with 58 numbers to choose from, 6 combo...is 1 in 40,475,358.....how on earth one get so lucky???

that guy from Bandar Sri Damansara must have like 6 huge lucky stars with him the day he place the bet...for now he can forget about work...he can crush his proton saga with a bulldozer and start choosing his sports car...he can start knocking down his 2 bedroom single storey house and begin choosing a 10,000 sq ft bungalow with own private swimming pool...and can start planning his journey around the world...

anywaysss...just wanna voice out the blues...now that i can forget about the jackpot...

until next round...btw, magnum jackpot 1 is at more than RM20m

blu ray movie titles

daryl.k — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:33:41 +0800

hi guys,

i'm just wondering if its possible to tell a fake i.e. pirated blu ray title from a genuine title?

the reason is...i've been purchasing from a seller, here in LYN...and his price is always cheaper than other sellers...some titles almost the same price as pirated BD sellers...so it kinda makes me wonder if i'm actually getting conned..or am i getting a real deal?

and i've also tried a pirated title borrowed to me by a friend...and its the exact same as a genuine title...even the packaging's the same...

is there any way of identifying from the look of it?

and since i'm on this pirated vs genuine title issue....i've been meaning to ask for opinions:

Which is less noble?

1) purchasing pirated movies
2) downloading movie titles off the net

inverter A/C - really works?

daryl.k — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:31:20 +0800

when i reno my house few months ago, i made the decision to install the more expensive Inverter type air cond units (Daikin) for 2 rooms (1hp) and living hall (1.5hp) with the idea that it will help save my electricity bill in the long run.

so far, the last 3 months i've actually moved in and started paying TNB bills, i realize, something must be wrong cos i'm paying quite an expensive bill.

the first time the bill came, it was on the high side, but i thought i didn't made any payments for the couple of months of reno works, and it was like CNY that time, loads of friends came for visit, the lights, A/C and everything was turned on constantly...i bare with it.

second time the bill came, still on the high side...again i tot maybe i didn't practice enough energy saving measures..and i begin to monitor my daily usage, i begin to switched my electrical appliances off (not leave it on standby) when i'm not using and try not to switch on those non-energy saving lights (florescent lights) when not necessary. i paid the bill.

'before anyone start shooting me saying switching off those electrical appliances like TV & Astro doesn't help conserve alot of energy, hear me out, cos i was watching one of those discovery/learning channels on Astro and apparently, they makes up to like 10% of your total bill, so i begun to do that, i'm not exactly sure if that's the case ok?'

this time, the bill came and amazingly, this bill is even higher than the first two months!!i'm absolutely dumbfounded. for a period of 31 days, total unit used was 803KWH! total bill came to RM260.45

now, i'm living in an apartment <1000sq ft. me and my wife. my baby kid (1.5yrs old)comes by to stay with us from Friday-Sunday evening. he sleeps with us in the same room. my appliances includes:

1) Home Entertainment system
2) Fridge (LG side-by-side)
3) Microwave
4) Cooker Hood
5) Oven
6) A/C (2 x 1hp & 1 x 1.5hp Inverter type)
7) Water Pump x 1
8) Water Heater x 2 (storage type not instant type)
9) Bathroom Exhaust Fan x 1
10) Alarm

both me & the wife works normal hours..so nothing is switched on during the day. only from 6-7pm onwards.

of all the appliances above (pretty much all) i can only think of Fridge & Alarm system which is ON 24x7.

i only switch on water pump & 1 water heater 90% of the time and not for long, maybe a couple of hours per day.

i spent about 3-4 hours a day (weekdays) watching TV.

we switch on 1 A/C at any time. if we're in living hall, then the hall A/C will be switched on. when we're going to sleep, hall A/C Off, and Room (1 room) A/C switched on for the entire night which is roughly 8hours. so in total, the A/C will be switched on about 12 hours aday. the other 1hp A/C was never switched on.

i'm not entirely sure what is the normal electricity usage per household? cos i spoke to a few colleague of mine and all of them were actually quite shock at my high electricity bill. one guy with a retired mom at home who watches tv 24x7 pays less than RM150 per month.

for a comparison, my bill is almost the same as my parents' in law double storey house. and they both not working so at home day & night with a 2hp non-inverter living hall A/C at full blast during the day and 1 x 1hp non-inverter room A/C switched on during the night when they sleep. they have 2 fridge running 24x7. major difference is they dun have cooking hood & oven and their electrical supply is 1-phase, while mine is 3-phase, 63A.

how much (in terms of KWH) will the A/C consume (per hour or per day)? inverter vs non-inverter type?

what about the fridge? how much does it consumed?

i'm beginning to have a wild suspicion that perhaps some of my neighbors are tapping into my electrical cables... the A/C & the Fridge is what is suspect to be consuming most of the electricity. plus the occasional water pump & heater. but the thing is, the A/C is supposed to be energy saving type...how come still used up so much power?

i just did another check on the meter today, from the time the last reading was recorded till today, 15 days in total, i've used something like 372KWH, which is about 25KWH per day!!

i just need to know if this is normal? the first thing i'm gonna do when i reach my apartment after work today is to check the meter again. compare it with the reading i took down this morning. see if there's a huge jump. then i will try to check the reading again tomorrow morning.

btw, no need to suggest me those energy-saver devices...those are full of crap...

page looks crooked with Chrome

daryl.k — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:34:38 +0800

somehow, when open forum.lowyat.net with Chrome, the page looks crooked & completely out...all frame's missing..what could be the problem? the same page is fine when viewed with IE7 & Firefox

with Chrome
[attachmentid=1563211]

with IE7
[attachmentid=1563213]

pls help. thanks!

formal complaint of Streamyx/TM

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 07:30:00 +0800

formal complaint of Streamyx/TM

daryl.k — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:36:53 +0800

hi all,

sorry if this topic sounds lame but i'm very very frustrated am this point of time.

i moved to my new apartment just before CNY (mid Feb)

i applied to transfer my account from my previous residence to this new place after advise from TM Sales Rep in TM Point (Kelana Jaya). i filled up the necessary forms and was told they will transfer both phone line & streamyx account within 7 working days.

the Telekom guys turned up about 3-4 days later and connected my phone line. no issue there.

about 2 weeks later, streamyx still not installed. Called TM cust service hotline, and was told there's no streamyx to my name as yet, means the jumper connection hasn't been made. i asked why it takes so long, they say they will open a file on my case and will keep my updated.

2 more weeks later, still nothing. by this time, the first bill from TM arrived at my new address mail box. I'm being charged for the month i'm without streamyx after applying to transfer. called TM cust service hotline again. again they tell me same thing. dunno why the TM technician haven't made the jumper connection. after speaking with technical assistant, i was transfered to billing enquiry. i asked them how come i'm being charged even though the connection is not even made yet? they say its a standard procedure and my bill will continue to generate itself becos i've requested for a transfer and not termination. they ask me to settle that bill or else TM may suspend my account. If only that guy's in front of me, i would've shown him both my middle fingers. no way i'm gonna pay for something i haven't been able to use. i refuse to even pay for the telephone line rental cos i use that line purely for internet.

on that same day, i wrote an email to TM customer care. told them my situation. few days later, one lady replied, they say they will look into my case and will keep me posted.

1-2 days later, got an email from another guy, apologizing, and told me they have checked my line & request. no technical problem associated to my phone line. they have 'escalated' my request and a Streamyx technician will be in contact with me soon. that was on 28th March.

today is 22-Apr. about 3weeks liao. i'm still without streamyx. i've sent them another email 9 days ago, asking for status since it's been 2 weeks since i received their email. no reply from them so far.

i'm done speaking with TM, truly frustrated and disappointed..after more than 2months applying for the transfer, i'm still without a connection. and the best part is, 2nd bill came last week. again they charged me for my streamyx account

i'm now planning on writing a formal complaint to relevant authorities. just not sure which authority is my case related to.
after the formal complaint, i will go to TM point to terminate the account. they apply for a new one with those guys who's sending me fliers at my apartment. at least those agents are able to communicate with TM better. if i have problems, i will contact the agent rather than me talking to TM which cause me to vomit blood.

if anyone have any suggestion, please help me out. sorry for the lengthy post & thanks for reading.

Utility Deposit refund

daryl.k — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:42:38 +0800

my dad purchase a 3-storey shop lot in Bandar Mahkota Cheras few years back. Towards completion & handing over of property, developer billed my dad RM3000 (RM1000 for each storey) as TNB deposit and RM1500 as SYABAS deposit.

the property is now rented out and we have made the request for transfer of ownership from developer's name to my dad's name at both SYABAS & TNB. as a standard process, we are to pay new deposit (RM3000 & RM1500) before making a claim of refund from the developer with proper paper works proving we have applied, paid for the transfer of ownership.

That was back in June (SYABAS) and August (TNB) 2009.

earlier this month (Mar 2010) the developer finally paid us back the SYABAS deposit monies. but not TNB.

according to the developer, TNB has yet to refund them the monies.

i'm not so familiar with this, but how long does it normally takes for utility companies to refund deposit monies? its been 6months now since we applied for the transfer. we have also made the new deposit payments + stamp duties.

calls to check with developer only give same answer every time. TNB has yet to refund to them, so they cant refund to us.

so,
1) how can i check if that's really the case? i.e. TNB haven't paid up.
2) if TNB haven't paid up, what can i do to get them to pay?
3) is there any place i can go, to make a complaint?

i mean, its' plain ridiculous if you ask me. 6months and they still yet to make the refund, but they collect new deposit monies on the spot.

anyone with similar experience before? pls share. and all help & advise greatly appreciated!

thanks!

Invisible Grille - users opinion?

daryl.k — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:43:17 +0800

i first saw this intro to Invisible Grille in Houz Depot, Kota Damansara, sounds like a good idea, considering it doesn't look like conventional grilles..looks modernize and quite nice actually although it is not there for theft protection cos thieves can easily cut thru the thin steel wires...

anyways, i went up to their HQ-showroom in USJ 1 Avenue(cos there's never a sales person in houz depot) on 11th Jan (monday) to pay deposit...2 guys were there...one of them sleeping on the sofa...okkieee...anyways...for an organization, i was thinking they might have proper receipt & invoice. but the receipt they issued me are standard receipt you can buy from Stationary shops, with a stamp stating their name & address....shady, but ok i'll accept it. paid RM400...total price was RM1136...about 30%...after i paid the deposit, the lady in charge sent me an email, to tell me delivery is another RM100. ok...the email the was sent before i paid the deposit...i accept that.

3 weeks is standard installation time upon confirmation, that's what they said. no problem for me cos my place still under reno and paint works...not ready for them to come in for installation anyways.

on the following sunday, in the afternoon, one dude called, woke my baby up...crying like there's no tomorrow cos of the phone ringing..tell me they can do installation for me on coming wednesday becos they have another installation nearby, can 'slot' me in they say. i completely taruh them..one is for waking my baby up...second its no my problem they have another installation nearby. as far as i am concerned, they charged me RM100 for delivery. if they can fit in few installation in 'my area' means they save on the delivery la...how's that my problem??

so after i taruh the dude who called, a lady sent me sms asking if its ok to do the installation on wed...same reply i gave her, i'll wait 3 weeks cos my place no ready for them to come in! how come that's so difficult to understand??

my place is ready for their installation this week, tomorrow in fact, so last week on Tuesday, i made the necessary arrangements with both the grille guy & the alarm guy cos need to hook the grille system to the alarm.alarm guy specifically requested for himself to carry out installation during the grille installation.

called the grille lady, no pick up. but shortly after, she returned call. told her my plan, she said she'll check to confirm the installation date. No calls from her for rest of the day. no calls from her on Wednesday too. On thursday, alarm guy called to confirm date of installation 03-Feb (wednesday) i called the grille lady. again, no pick up. sent her a text msg. she replied "i'm checking with them on the timing" i told her to make the arrangement for 03-Feb installation. no more reply after that.

(she said she called me last week, my phones (both) have no records of a call missed or received) Today, 02-Feb, tuesday, no calls from the grille lady still...i call her cell...no answer. called another number i have of her...no answer. sent her a text to confirm if they are coming to do the installation tomorrow. 10-15 mins later, she text me back. ask me to contact her manager to clarify on the alarm installation. i called the number provided...first try, cant reach - voicemail. hit redial button, got thru, but no answer. called the lady again, no answer.

i sent her text "just like you, your manager not picking up calls" about 20mins later, she replied "please don say tat as sometime we are bz, like i called u last week also u werent answer right? i'll get him to cal u then" (is this the way to say things to a customer?? - nevermind the fact she's actually texting me when she can call me)

the manager never called..few moments later, i called the 'manager'. after i got thru, and introduced myself, the manager said "yeah, what's your problem?!" and the tone of his voice, like trying to ask for argument...my friends who know me, knows i'm the last person they wanna have argument with....so i ask him back "what's your problem??" it seems the lady called him & told him i complaint that he's no answering the phone.

sensing my dissatisfied voice, he immediately toned down...he said he never received a missed call from me which is a bunch of bullocks...over the next few mins on the phone with the manager, the talk is about why must the alarm guy be present while they doing installation....

some thing which really puzzles me...what's the problem with alarm guy doing his own work while they doing grille installation? he keep saying he worried the alarm guy will be there waiting for them to finish. i told them alarm guy got other things to do also...the grille with alarm only one section of the window...so what's the big deal?? alarm guy specifically asked to be present during grille installation.

it seems they dun wan the alarm guy to be present during their installation...i completely dun understand why...anyways, at the end, tired from keep explaining to him...i simply said, just make sure you guys is here for your installation. don't worry about others...then only he shut up.

my point is, this is the first time, a guy answer my call and ask me "what's your problem!??"

is this the way to talk to customers? i'm also in the sales line...and never before i speak in such manner to customer. this is call discipline. a customer is always a customer. yes, i may be a small customer, but am a customer nonetheless....even if my bill is RM10...i'm still a customer. anyways....i took the renovation of my entire place pretty much under my own...i engage separate contractor for window tinting, flooring, grille, air-con, doors, tiles, paint and all of them were top notch...except for the grille. never had i felt so pissed off with their attitude. the laminated floor installation contractor, same in torn t-shirts, shorts & sleepers and he looks as if he hasn't had a hair cut in years...not the best looking guy...but his work was top notch...so much so i'm planning on writing a commendation letter to the laminated floor seller who recommended him to me.

i dunno how the quality of this grille is, cos the installation is only tomorrow...so i cant comment...but judging on the way these guys go about their business, and the way they speak to their customer who's paid deposit, i'll be quite surprise they will actually last the warranty period they are offering on the product. their attitude = suxk to the max...never came across these kinda attitude in my life...not even my corporate customers who's damn LC...

if you ask me now...i regretted ever paying the deposit for their grille...otherwise i'd have cancel my order...i'll never use their service or products ever again....those thinking about using their product can go ahead, and see if they are as i claimed. those who've used their service before can also comment...if you have similar experience or if your experience was way better than mine..

anyways...they have really shxt working attitude. that's all i can say.