Overcharged iPhone bill

Telco justifies auto GPRS fees but cancelled service as requested

ONG of Petaling Jaya is exasperated after finding in his phone bill he has been overcharged by DiGi.

"My monthly bill usually comes up to no more than RM47.50. A few months ago, I received a statement from DiGi saying I owed them RM177.21. The following month, it was RM143.10.

"That was shocking news to me because my usual bill always been below RM50."

ONG says she called up DiGi's Customer Service Hotline and was told the billing department would call her in three days.

"After several missed calls and chasing after them, I was told my iPhone automatically connects to GPRS and incurs hefty charges this without me realising it.

"They told me this is apparently one of iPhone's flaws that had yet to be corrected.

"I told them it was not fair to penalise me for a fault that was not mine and to charge me for a service I never used. But DiGi was adamant and won't waive these charges."

ONG claims some of her friends also encountered the same problem.

"If DiGi knows such a fault exists in iPhones, they should warn customers about it and disable the GPRS function. I have since disabled the function but I suspect the telecommunication company is not going to issue any warnings to their customers."

ONG does not want others to go through her experience.

● A SPOKESMAN for DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd says their investigations and records show the data charges are genuine as the customer’s postpaid account has an active GPRS service.

"On iPhone, the customer has the option to switch off the cellular/roaming data service to prevent unwarranted data usage and charges.

"We have since contacted the customer and the matter has been settled. DiGi has also cancelled the GPRS service as requested by the complainant.”

Motorists unhappy with another rise in fuel prices

PETALING JAYA: Motorists filling up last night in preparation to "balik kampung" ahead of the long public holiday stretch were disappointed at learning the RON97 petrol price has gone up by yet another 10 sen after a similar increase barely a month ago.

One irate motorist, identifying himself only as Loh, 40, had stopped at a petrol station while heading to Ipoh and felt the sudden rise would be a dampener for many as it came just ahead of the Chinese New Year festivities.

"My suggestion is for the petrol price to be maintained regularly as a drastic rise would affect consumers like me."

Lawyer Lim K.S, 50, was also disappointed with the decision as there was no prior warning.

"At least they should have told us early as we have to budget our expenses for the upcoming celebration. I have no choice but to pay extra for fuel as we've already confirmed our travel plans." Lim left for his hometown in Batu Pahat, Johor, last night.

Kevin Choi from Damansara said he never thought the price would increase again so soon. The RON97 petrol price also rose by 10 sen per litre to RM2.40 on Jan 4.

"Luckily for me, my hometown is Kuala Lumpur. I am sure it would affect others driving back to their hometowns."

Vincent Chang, 40, says he preferred using RON97 despite the higher price because he found the lower grade RON95 does not work well for imported cars.

"If price of crude oil decreases later, are they going to reduce the price?"

Yesterday Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia deputy president Datuk Zulkifli Mokti announced RON97 petrol price would rise 10 sen to RM2.50 per litre from midnight.

"The increase was due to the rise in the price of crude oil to US$105 per drum this week, compared with US$100 previously."

'Sentiment still points to stronger ringgit'

The ringgit is likely to trade within a narrow range against the US dollar next week with traders squaring off positions in the holiday-shortened week.

"Traders are short covering but sentiment still points towards a stronger ringgit," a dealer said.

The foreign exchange market will only trade on Monday and Wednesday next week as the market will be closed for the rest of the days in the week for the Federal Territory and Chinese New Year holidays.

On Thursday, Bank Negara Malaysia maintained its overnight policy rate (OPR) at 2.75 per cent at its first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting for the year.

It cited cooling inflation for the unchanged rate but hinted that it may consider additional policy tools to avoid the risks of macroeconomic and financial imbalances.

On a Friday-to-Friday basis, the ringgit was higher against the US dollar at 3.0540/0570 from 3.0580/0620 previously, dipped against the Singapore dollar to 2.3835/3877 on Friday compared with 2.3819/3852 last week.

It was higher against the Japanese yen at 3.6947/6992 from 3.6806/6860 previously and against the British pound at 4.8491/8554 from 4.8705/8756 last Friday.

The local unit was also weaker against the Euro at 4.1858/1902 on Friday compared with 4.1471/1515 previously. -- Bernama

Malaysia to raise fuel and food prices again - 4/12/2010 (Sat)

Malaysia is set to announce on Friday reductions to its fuel and food subsidies, as it tries to reduce its fiscal deficit, website Malaysiakini (www.malaysiakini.com) said.

The government will raise the prices of the RON95 blend, diesel and liquified petroleum gas by 5 sen a litre, the website citing a special briefing for editors at Putrajaya said.

The website also added that the price of sugar will be raised by 20 sen to 2.10 Malaysian ringgit per kilogramme.

The prices will be effective Saturday at 12.01 am.

Think-tank Pemandu is expected to come out with a formal announcement later this evening.

Malaysia's government earlier this year cut subsidies on the benchmark RON95 blend, although it baulked at the wide-ranging reforms recommended by a government thinktank, fearing a voter backlash.

The government recently hiked the price of RON97 by 7 percent as it is subject to a managed float while RON95 remains subsidised by the government.

In October, the government said its subsidy spend would be 24.9 billion ringgit in 2011 up from a planned 23.7 billion ringgit in 2010.

Hike in RON97 price

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is to increase the price of the RON97 petrol blend by 15 sen to RM2.30 per litre from Dec. 1, two sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.

A formal announcement will be made later on Tuesday, one of the sources said. - REUTERS

Malaysia's government earlier this year cut subsidies on the benchmark RON95 blend, although it baulked at the wide-ranging reforms recommended by a government thinktank, fearing a voter backlash.

The government does not subsidise RON97, which is a higher octane fuel compared to the RON95.

In October, the government said its subsidy spend would be 24.9 billion ringgit in 2011 up from a planned 23.7 billion ringgit in 2010.

Malaysian inflation edged up to 2.0 percent year-on-year in October, and housing, water, electricity and fuel rose 1.4 percent from a year ago. Those items account for 21.4 percent of the CPI basket.

Apple’s iPad on sale in Malaysia from today

KUALA LUMPUR: After months of waiting, the iPad will be sold at selected stores in Malaysia today at a rate that is said to be one of the cheapest in the world.

The official price list provided to The Star by authorised reseller Machines, via Apple, showed iPads in US stores going at RM1,573.10 to RM2,613.42 (US$499 to US$829).

The price range for the iPads in Malaysia is RM1,549 to RM2,599.

Long queues are expected at all Apple premium reseller stores in major shopping malls in the country.

Machines director Andrew Cheng said the “lifestyle changing” device was expected to sell like hot cakes, along with the wide range of accessories available for the iPad.

“The iPad had been sold in small-time booths at IT centres over the past few months – mostly brought in from overseas.

“Now, consumers can buy the iPads at official Apple-commissioned stores,” Cheng said.

“By doing so, users can enjoy better customer service and warranties by Apple Malaysia, making their buy a much safer and assured experience.”Cheng said the light and portable device had been significant in changing the way he worked as well as his entertainment experience.

“I can easily do an impressive business presentation with this device. When I go for short working trips, my laptop, which I used to lug around, is now left at the office. I just take my iPad out,” he said.

Telcos in the country will also begin to roll out various dedicated data plans for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G with the launch of the iPad.

DiGi, Maxis and Celcom have introduced the micro SIM card, made 52% smaller for both the iPhone 4 and the iPad.

With a 3G connection, users can browse the Web, read and send e-mail, and enjoy and share photos from anywhere in the country with network coverage.

The official price list for the iPad with Wi-Fi only is RM1,549 (16GB); RM1,849 (32GB); RM2,149 (64GB); iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G RM1,999 (16GB); RM2,299 (32GB) and RM2,599 (64GB).

Maxis Bhd said it was offering data plans for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G in Malaysia from today.

All data plans would be available without a contract and users would have the freedom to activate or cancel a plan at any time, the company said in a statement here yesterday.

“The plans are designed to enable Maxis customers to enjoy more Internet connectivity and the growing number of applications for the rich interface in a more affordable way,” Maxis chief operating officer Jean-Pascal van Overbeke said.

The iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G models is 1.27cm thick and weighs just 0.726kg. It has a single-charge battery life of 10 hours for surfing the Web on Wi-Fi, watching videos or listening to music and up to nine hours of surfing the Web using a 3G data network.