Monday, 28 September 2015

Lelong.my review (beware buyer!)


Lelong.my - Malaysia 

1. Ive used lelong.my to buy some stuff for about 5x. I was very dissatisfied and disappointed. Unlike Ebay (i am a very frequent user of ebay), lelong.com.my are  bias towards seller & not buyer friendly. I repeat. Not buyer friendly! So if you are about to buy anything via lelong.my, think again. You are taking a huge risk of losing your money.

2. Why?
- seller profile rating has its trick, they dont fully expose seller negative ratings. I used to rate a seller negatively and it doesn't show up on their profile. 
- after you log in, you click on the "my purchase" to see your recent purchase. Guess what happen? Theyll ask you to log in again, twice. What a time waster.
- you will have to undergo several blocks before you can even contact the seller, especially after youve made the payment, regardless of the net.pay whatever you call that buyer protection, thats all bullshit. Ive used that before and seller deliver my stuff after more than a week, very unreliable.
- unprofessional website and too many bugs and advertisement. Design Looks like pasar malam punya kualiti.
- in order to contact the seller you have to verify your phone. So i did but didn't receive any verification code, hence you wont be able to contact the seller, imagine if this happen after youve made your payment (happened to me)

3. Therefore I'll say that this website is a total scam, you better contact the seller directly at their shop etc.




Friday, 18 September 2015

Tips sebelum buka franchise

Berikut adalah tips2 berguna selepas beberapa research & foundings yang saya dapat dari observation & readings.

1. Franchise adalah salah satu bentuk investment, sama seperti investment hartanah (sewa rumah, sewa kedai, etc). Maka, walaupun bukan mudah untuk dapatkan franchise daripada company2 yang dah mantap, kita jangan terlalu terkejar, kita juga sebagai investor ada hak untuk investigate betul-betul sama ada syarikat tu betul2 berbaloi untuk dibeli, lagi2 melibatkan jumlah wang yang besar lagi2 industry f&b (food & beverage).

2. Setiap syarikat memerlukan sekurang2nya 3 tahun untuk dapatkan lesen franchise. Kalau kedai tu baru tu bukan franchise nama nya, itu licensing. Apa beza licensing dengan franchise? 

3. Selidik dahulu perkhidmatan apa yang akan diberikan oleh syarikat induk (franchisor) kepada franchisee. Sesetengah syarikat meminta bayaran antara RM 75 ribu - RM 200 ribu untuk franchisee fee. Ada sesetengah syarikat tidak ambil kira kos marketing, walaupun marketing adalah tanggungjawab dan tugas franchisor. Saya pernah berbincang dengan satu syarikat burger yang terkenal di Malaysia yang tidak include marketing service dalam franchise fee mereka yang mahal itu.

4. Interview/temu ramah owner/pemilik atau manager store (f&b) franchisee dahulu. Interview lah lebih dari 3 franchisee kalau boleh. Dapatkan maklumat seperti perangai franchisor, komitmen franchisor samada stok dihantar on time atau lambat, apa perkhidmatan yang diberikan dll. Kalau kebanyakkannya negatif, cari lah syarikat lain. Kalau owner baik hati & mood okayy, tanya lah average sales sebulan. Kalau sales nya lebih dari RM 80 000, then insyaAllah ok. Sebelum nak interview jangan lupa break the ice dulu. 

5. Franchise manager akan beri estimated sales, jangan terima bulat2. Itu juga antara sebab kenapa kita perlu interview existing franchisee. Cawangan yang banyak & facebook page likes yang banyak tidak semestinya untungnya banyak, mungkin mereka juga masih bertungkus lumus untuk dapatkan ROI (return of investment). 2 hingga 3 tahun adalah jangka masa (range) yang reasonable. 

6. Selidik asset induk (franchisor). Adakah franchisor ada asset yang banyak atau adakah asset / sales franchisor datang kebanyakkan nya dari franchisee fee? 

7. Latihan (training) mesti lah diberi kan dalam jangka masa yang reasonable seperti 3 bulan. Syarikat burger yang saya pernah interview hanya beri training selama 2 minggu. Itu adalah antara warning signs yang anda perlu berhati-hati. Syarikat yang bagus adalah syarikat yang ada vision yang tinggi dan jauh, dan bukan sekadar nak buat duit. Syarikt yang bagus akan pasti kan calon owner franchisee akan menjaga nama syarikat tersebut dengan elok, maka training akan diberi kan dengan baik. 

( yes you can say masak burger je so tak perlu training lama2, atau previous experience f&b yang lepas2 sudah mencukupi, but in my opinion, 2 minggu training is not enough at all. You can get your own training for sure no problem, what I am pointing out here is it says alot the 'perangai' and commitment and level of involvement sesebuah franchisor itu. 

8. Baca dengan teliti terms & condition sebelum tandatangan surat agreement franchise. Di negara barat dipanggil FDD (Franchise Disclosure Document). Document ini perlu include samada ada tak cawangan franchisee yang pernah tutup. 

9. Walaupun estimated kos adalah RM 500 000, sentiasa sediakan duit lebih, contohnya RM 750 000. Lack of initial capital adalah salah satu punca besar syarikat boleh gulung tikar.

More info and tips boleh didapati di entrepreneur.com atau google sahaja dalam bahasa inggeris "warning signs franchise" (contoh). Pilih lah website / artikel yang reliable. Kalau link website tu .com .ca .au atau .gov lagi bagus. 

Semoga bermanfaat. Goodluck.






Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Akar Beach Resort, Port Dickson Review

Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia 

This review was based from year 2014, weekdays

Pro:
- new and clean building (room)
- price was affordable
- internet not bad, unlike other hotels that we went
- free breakfast and delicious nasi lemak
- beach behind the hotel was cleaner and not crowded, hence we had the privacy we need

Cons:
- hotel doesnt own the beach but it wasnt far from the hotel, 1 minute walk.
- room design was simple, no carpet, but  it wasnt a big deal because I was more concern about cleanliness
- limited car park 





Tuesday, 15 September 2015

Ioi City Mall are not for families (public holidays)

Ioi City Mall, Putrajaya 

The worst experience in shopping mall ever! as a family
1. Extremely small surau
2. Lack of elevators (lif), families are using bulky strollers and I couldnt go in even after 5 attempts, and my little baby is crying for food! (Breastfeeding). Elevators are small too. 
3. Lack of diaper changing and breastfeeding room and washroom that are baby friendly! This should be at every floor and every toilet should ATLEAST have a place to change diaper. Poor planning.


Bad KFC customer service, IOI City Mall Putrajaya

IOI City Mall Putrajaya

1. I already give my feedback online to get a discounted pricedessert RM 2. KFC cashier and manager refuse to redeem because they we had to buy minimum RM 15. However the minimum RM 15 purchase was for their previous promotion only. The receipt did not mention anything about the RM 15. It was not a big deal for us, but I wanted to highlight that both cashier and manager are not updated and fully understand their own promotion. Wont eat here anymore!


2. There were 4 counters but only 2 counters were open, resulting in long queues. Wasted my time here.

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Pullman Hotel Putrajaya

Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya, Malaysia 

Went to visit Pullman hotel with my husband & baby few months ago just to observe the place because I had a job interview the next day. 

Because its a 4 5 star hotel, i was curious and I wanted to see what makes them special. 

Was delighted to see lots of smiling face and warm welcome at the lobby. It doesn't stop there. The cleaner and carpenter also smiled at us (okayy so this is different, reminds me of Canada). Construction worker also smile at us, thats like wow! Is that really a part of your job? 

Interview was short but they make me wait for 45 minutes before letting me in to be interviewed (i was the only candidate there). They also said theyll contact me but havent heard anything til now. A bit disappointed, but i wasnt hoping because the salary they offer was wayy low than what I expected. Not worth my time and I would rather take care of my baby at home.

Saturday, 5 September 2015

Aduan SPAD was very responsive



We were from Rawang to Seremban for a wedding last Sunday and a lorry in front of us (lane beside us) masuk lane kami sangat last minit and so sudden. Thank God my husband sempat break and were very frightened! I took their plate number and called SPAD immidiately.

I was suprise with SPAD service for several reason:
- operator was very minimal (less than a minute)
- the person who I talk to was very professional in terms of her manner
- i received a confirmation email 5 minutes after i make that call. 
- they sent me another email after a week  saying that they have warn the lorry owner.

Impressed by their service and I hope all Malaysians should contribute as well to make the world a better place.

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

Very responsible - The Manhattan Fish Market

Alamanda Putrajaya, Malaysia

I went here for lunch during lunch hour on weekdays (Sept 2, 2015) with my husband and baby. Ordered lunch set which includes fish & chips, coke & ice cream. They forgot to give us the ice cream and we realize it when we get home. 

Coincidentally we went to Alamanda again the next day, so we saja singgah to let them know their mistake and they compensate us. 

Great customer service! Recommended



Nabilah Z