SEMANTAN AVENUE SUITES: No money, no opening!

Another reader sent in this about their Semantan Avenue Suites at Damansara Heights:

"Hi Wendy,Hope your father is feeling better.

I sympathise with you regarding the payment problems with Meda. As you said, they really live up to their bad reputation. I'm also a supplier and they also owe us a substantial amount. Therefore I support your blog.

I have just been told that their Semantan service apartment project, although completed, is unable to open for business due to their payment problems as well. It seems that they are not able to secure supplies such as furniture and fittings etc for the apartments. The gist of what I hear is that their staff are now in place, incurring monthly wage costs, but they cannot open their doors as their rooms are not supplied.

This project is under another Meda company called Nandex. Nandex is a "shell" company with no assets; if anyone were to sue this company, the creditor get kosong. Many of the contractors involved are signed with Nandex."

Thanks for sending that in, and for your well wishes.

During the construction phase, Meda Inc Bhd owners had to find urgent money to pay their building contractor's progressive payments and there were some work stoppages.

What you mention does not surprise me. It is their Meda Inc Bhd style. Always hutang money everywhere, failing to pay for their goods. Yet they are buying up land and "developing" new projects. Our government should seriously implement a thorough audit of all these companies and implement new laws that protect consumers from becoming victims of such unscrupulous businessmen. Especially important is to audit the auditors' works. That will get all auditors to do their jobs properly and not be afraid of exposing illegal activities by these PLC owners.

Architect certified Meda Complex was complete, but it was NOT!

"Anonymous" sent in this contribution in my comments box:

"I used to work for Meda Complex, infact I was one of the pioneer staff that open the shopping complex....(some comments removed to maintain confidentiality of the person)...Seriously, the stories that I am reading now are not new and even during those times circa-1997, they were facing a crisis. Rumours were heard that they even had to take an off-shore loan to stay afloat and the architect was forced to certify that the construction for the Complex was completed (when it was only 90%) to avoid late delivery to purchasers. "

Notice the word forced.

I think this is the Meda Inc Bhd way of doing things. I think that if the authorities want to carry out an inspection of their buildings, Meda Inc Bhd will arrange for some "bonus" for the inspectors and everything will be taken care of. That's what they also do with licences and approvals for their shopping complex and hotel operations.

So, you should be careful if you are thinking of buying any of Meda Inc Bhd's condominium or shopping units, such as the Cova Villa, or One Subang, or even Semantan Suites. You won't know whether they have fulfilled all building and construction laws, unless you are an expert yourself.

If you look closely at their Semantan Avenue Suites, the 2 blocks sit on a very tiny plot of land. At the back is a very steep hillside. I wonder whether the walls behind is strong enough to withstand 2 weeks of continuous rain. Already, large parts of Johor is under water and KL has seen some aweful landslides.

We must not forget the Highland Towers disaster. Developers with a shakey track record and bad reputation should be avoided at all costs, no matter how cheap their apartments or shops are. All it takes is a combination of factors happening all at the same time, and your home will crumble and the lives of your loved ones lost forever. By then, the developer would have enjoyed all the profits and it's too late for you to go after them.

Why did the architect give in to pressure from Meda Inc Bhd to certify the Complex building when it was not ready yet? Was it because the owners offered the architect more money to certify it? Was it because the owners promised payment on time? Did the architect fail to fulfil their professional duty?


Below are our court's findings regarding the guilty parties in the Highland Towers collapse:

Liability:

The following were the findings on liability by the Court:

The First Defendant was liable in negligence for not engaging a qualified architect,
constructing insufficient and inadequate terraces, retaining walls and drains on the hillslope which could reasonably have been foreseen to have caused the collapse diverting the East Stream from its natural course and failing to ensure the pipe culvert diversion was adequate, and in nuisance for not maintaining drains and retaining walls.

The Second Defendant (Architect) was liable in negligence for not having ensured adequate drainage and retaining walls were built on the hillslope adjacent to the Highland Towers site, which he foresaw or ought to have foreseen would pose a danger to the buildings he was in charge of, in not complying with the requirements of the authorities in respect of drainage, in colluding with the First Defendant and Third Defendant (the Engineer) to obtain a Certificate of Fitness without fulfilling the conditions imposed by the Fourth Defendant (the Local Authority), in so doing not complying with his duties as Architect, and in not investigating the terracing of the hillslopes and construction of retaining walls even though he was aware they would affect the buildings he was in charge of, and also in nuisance as he was an unreasonable user of land.

The Third Defendant (Engineer) was liable in negligence for not having taken into account the hill or slope behind the Towers, not having designed and constructed a foundation to accommodate the lateral loads of a landslide or alternatively to have ensured that the adjacent hillslope was stable, for not having implemented that approved drainage scheme, for colluding with the First and Second Defendants to obtain a Certificate of Fitness without fulfilling theconditions imposed by the Fourth Defendant and also in nuisance as he was an unreasonable user of land.

The Fourth Defendant (Local Authority) although negligent in respect of its duties associated with building. i.e. in respect of approval of building plans, to ensure implementation of the approved drainage system during construction, and in the issue of the Certificate of Fitness, was nonetheless conferred immunity by reason of s95(2) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act.

The Fourth Defendant was however not immune in respect of its negligence in carrying out its post building functions of maintaining the East Stream. This also attracted liability in nuisance.

The Fifth Defendant (Arab-Malaysian Finance Bhd) was liable in negligence in failing to maintain the drains on its land, and in taking measures to restore stability on its land after the collapse.

The Seventh Defendant (Metrolux Properties) and its Project Manager, the Eighth Defendant, who were liable in negligence and nuisance for preventing water from flowing downhill (into their site) and instead directing water into the East Stream, when they knew or ought to have known that this would increase the volume of water and inject silt, especially where there was extensive clearing on their land, into the East Stream where it would be deposited, which would in turn (as proved) cause or contribute to the failure of the drainage system and collapse of Block 1.

If you're interested you can read more about it here http://www.trett.co.uk/digest/doit.asp?iss=27&art=4


Why developers put people's lives at risk?

Simple. To make more profits for themselves, to cut costs. Just look at the quality of Meda Inc Bhd's properties and you'll know that they have been cutting costs at all four corners.

(Cova Villa, Subang One are developed under Pharma Exel Sdn Bhd, which is part of Andaman Group Sdn Bhd, which is owned by the Meda Inc Bhd people. They don't want to pay their suppliers, but use suppliers' money for other projects. As mentioned in my previous posts, I think they are using Meda funds to finance their Andaman Group projects, with the intention to go for public listing on the Bursa. They know their Meda name is not well-received by share investors. I believe it is illegal to use public-subscription funds for projects that are not under the public-listed company.)

Thank you, "anonymous" for your info.

Does anyone else know anything more about this matter?

Keep The Information Coming In...Thanks!

I've been getting a lot of information from various people, especially those who have worked for Meda Inc Bhd and Summit Hotel Subang USJ.

I am most grateful for all your contributions. Please keep them coming in.

To ensure that you do not get into trouble with those burgers, please also state whether you would like me to publish your comments/emails in full or I should just use your info without mentioning your personal details (such as how you were wrongly accused and badly mistreated while working for them).

Those who wish to email me, it's wendywongsy@hotmail.com

I will maintain confidentiality of your personal details unless you mention otherwise.

Thanks for all your support! Terima kaseh!

Ex-Staff: Same Story About Meda Inc Bhd

Hutang Some More!

Just called their accounts department. No payment. This is really bad! It's now more than a year. I need my commission to pay my dad's medical bill. Kenneth Teoh could go on expensive holidays, but cannot afford to pay suppliers.


****

Another Meda Ex-Staff Talks: Nothing good to say about Meda Inc Bhd

Had dinner with SL at Asia Rice Pot, behind Wisma FAM, Petaling Jaya. (You should try it too. The food is quite good, and price is value for money). I've not seen her for quite a while so we had a lot of catching up to do.

SL is an intelligent and capable lady. She used to be part of the team at Meda Inc Bhd when the Summit Shopping Complex was undergoing a cleanup and "revamp" (around mid 2005 and early 2006).

It was no surprise that most of our conversation centred on Meda Inc Bhd and its operation. It was one of her worst work experiences ever.

SL told me a lot things which generally is what I have written in this blog so far. She also told me a few things which I will reveal later when the time is right - I don't want Kenneth Teoh and his people to destroy the evidence if he knows what I am talking about. SL said I should just pass the information to the authorities.

I mean, what do you think if the company, if their auditor staff simply quit from their jobs when they have only just joined the company? Is it because the staff had to work under instructions which went against their professional training? Was it because the staff found out some things which they would rather not handle and be blamed and charged later? Some people would rather quit than do something which is against their professional principle. I really respect such people.

SL also told me about the huge problems she faced there. She was told to make a lot of improvements to the Summit Shopping Compex, but very few suppliers were interested in providing quotations. They all have one common reason: Meda Inc Bhd has a VERY BAD reputation with payment.

Only a few of her friends were willing to take the risk to support her work. One of them managed to secure a Purchase Order. It was also the best price. The order has been delivered. Her immediate boss was happy with the work. But till today, her friend has not been paid.

SL said she was making good progress at her work there. She was already cautioned by others about the Meda Inc Bhd when she joined them. She thought she could take it as a challenge and see how far she can go. SL is quite a positive thinker.

But dealing with all the difficulties which were already there before she joined made it very tough for her. The shop-owners/tenants were not on good terms with Meda Inc Bhd management. The shopping complex was in horrible shape for a very long time. She also had to handle demands from those suppliers who had previously delivered their products but were not paid. Then she had to turn to other suppliers which Meda Inc Bhd did not owe money to. But these suppliers were too smart and know too much about her company. They were not interested in doing business with Meda Inc Bhd. To make matters worse, the owners TeohSA and Kenneth Teoh were quarreling over the management of the shopping complex. Poor leadership and lack of management expertise at the highest levels of Meda management made her days at the office very gloomy. She lost her motivation. She then quit, less than one year on the job.

SL knows about my problem. Meda Inc Bhd still hutang my company a lot of money. She says she will link me up with her supplier friend. Maybe we can join our efforts to take action against Meda Inc Bhd. Some other suppliers whom I have met have also suggested that we do something. I will let my boss know next week when he returns from Thailand.

Some of them also suggested we should together pay a visit to Kenneth Teoh's wife at their Mon't Kiara Damai house on this coming Tahun Baru Cina. What do you think?

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,

It has been a very busy period since December so I hardly have time to add more to this blog.

My dad is also not feeling too good, he has been in and out of Gleneagles Intan a few times last month. I'm struggling to pay the bills.

But I will continue blogging because I have more to add here.

Meantime, I wish everyone a Happy New Year in 2007!