Pengguna perihatin

PETALING JAYA: The organisers of the Matta International Travel Fair beginning tomorrow at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur have been urged to waive the RM3 entrance fee.

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) and the Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia (BEIM) jointly made the request in view of the current difficult economic climate.

"As a goodwill gesture, Matta can waive the fees as it has raked in millions of ringgit over the past years from entrance fees and booth rentals of participants," said Fomca secretary-general Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah at his office in Seri Setia yesterday.

Also present were BEIM chairman Zainal Abidin Abdul Majeed and National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) manager Yesotha Balakrishnan.

Muhammad Sha'ani also urged Matta to be wary of travel agents using the fair to cheat or mislead customers.
In an immediate response, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Ngiam Foon said he was surprised to learn of alleged cheating by fair participants.

"I am shocked and unaware of such misdeeds by the agents, if there is any truth to it. We welcome Fomca for a dialogue," Ngiam said.

He added the entrance fee was to ensure that only genuine visitors attended the fair and they would be given a goody bag worth much more than the fee.