My Wedding Vendor Failed; Here’s How The Consumer Tribunal Helped

So here’s the story. I tied the knot around two months ago. As part of the wedding planning we engaged with multiple vendors. One of which failed to deliver on services we paid for in advance.

Negotiations eventually broke down, and I decided that it was time to take legal action. In this situation most people would immediately drag the other party to Small Claims Court. However, after some discussion with my new wife, we decided to attempt a claim through the Consumer Claims Tribunal (CCT) instead.

What is the Consumer Claims Tribunal?

Before we get into our experience with filing a claim, first let’s explain what exactly is the Consumer Claims Tribunal.

The Consumer Claims Tribunal, or as it’s perhaps more commonly called the Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia (TTPM), is a tribunal that allows consumers to file claims regarding any goods and services purchased against the sellers or service providers.

The CCT was first established all the way back in 1999, and it’s objective is to;

• provide an alternative forum to civil courts for consumers to claim redress in respect of any goods and services purchased in a convenience, fast manner and at a minimal cost.
• hear and determine claims in an independent and just manner.
• develop the law on consumer protection.

So simply speaking, the CCT provides consumers with an alternative way to seek compensation over any dispute they might have regarding any goods or services they purchased.

This means that if you have purchased any goods or services that you’re not happy with, you can file a claim under CCT to get proper redress.

Jurisdiction of the Consumer Claims Tribunal

However, there is one thing that you should know. Not all goods and services purchases can be filed under a CCT claim.

The CCT only has the jurisdiction to;

• A claim for redress for the purchase of goods or services permitted under the jurisdiction of the Tribunal as provided under Act 599.
• A claim where the total amount does not exceed RM50,000.00; and
• A claim which accrues within three years from the incident.

How to file a Consumer Claims Tribunal claim

There are a two ways on how you can file a CCT Claim, and those are;

• Filling of claim at any Tribunals’ counter throughout Malaysia including Federal Territories of Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, or
• Online filling of claim via https://ttpm.kpdn.gov.my/login

How to file an online Consumer Claims Tribunal claim

Step 1: Login page

First step is simple, all you have to do is click on the link given above. This link will take you to the CCT login page, which looks like this;

Here, all you have to do is register a new account and you’re ready to proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Consumer Claims Tribunal dashboard

Once you’ve logged in, here’s the page you will see.

Now this is the CCT dashboard page, here’s where you will see any claim cases that you have going on, or any opposed case (which means cases that were opened against you).

Okay, so here’s where it gets a little complicated. To submit a claim, you first have to understand the two different options given to you, which are;

• Inquiries – asking the Tribunal if your case can be heard. Use this if you’re not sure if you can start a claim with the CCT.
• Claim – where you ask the other party to compensate you for loss or damages; or to enforce your rights.

If you want to submit an inquiry, all you have to do is click on the Open Inquiry button, and it will lead you to this page;

Here, you will be asked to fill out the details needed, such as your information, transaction information, and claim information.

After your inquiry is complete, you just need to wait a few days and the CCT will tell you if your inquiry is valid for a claim or not.

So let’s move on to the next step, which is how you can submit your claim.

Step 3; Submitting a claim

To submit your claim, first you have to click on the File a claim button. Once you’ve clicked the button, you will see this page;

As you can see in the image, this is step one of four for submitting your claim. Here, you will be asked to add in all the relevant information needed, such as claimant (you) information, your address, your mailing address, and your contact information.

Once you’ve filled in all the relevant information, you can click on the Next button.

Here’s the page where you will be asked to add the respondents/defendants of your claim. You can add as many individuals/companies as you want.

Click on the Add Respondent button, and you will see this popup;

Fill out the information needed, and click on the Save button.

Once you’ve added all the respondents you want, click on the Next button at the bottom of the screen.

Now you’ll be led to the next page, which is the statement of claim page.

Here, you will be asked to fill out the details of your claim. You will need to submit details such as transaction date, brand, how much you paid, and etc.

In this page, you will also be asked to submit the particulars of your claim, which means the claim statement. Here, you should explain the reason for your claim, and the company’s response towards you when you asked them to reimburse you. One important thing to note is that the particulars of your claim needs to be at least 100 words, so write as much as you want.

You will then be asked to select a CCT branch where you want the hearing to take place. Do take note however, that the final decision on the hearing location will be solely up to CCT’s discretion.

This page also allows you to submit any supporting documents, such as images, receipts, or agreements to bolster your claim.

Once you’ve filled all that, click on the Next button.

Step 4; Verifying your Consumer Claims Tribunal claim

In this page, you can see all the details of your claim, including the respondent details, claim particulars and everything else.

Verify that all the information displayed is correct, and click Send once you’re done.

And that’s it! Now your claim is complete, and all you have to do is wait till CCT to contact you for further action.

Why make a claim through the Consumer Claims Tribunal?

So what happened to my claim? Well, truthfully, it didn’t go through, for good reason.

Just the mere mention of the CCT was enough for me to get my refund from the vendor. Which is a great reason to always keep this option at the back of your mind if you need it. The threat of legal action is usually enough to make most vendors think twice about putting up resistance.

Additionally, there are good reasons for using a tribunal over Small Claims Court:

• The process of the tribunal takes less time compared to the Small Claims Court. The tribunal does not require you to engage the services of a lawyer. This makes the tribunal more suited for small claims, as it will lower the cost of the entire process.

Always remember, part of your responsibility as a consumer is to always stay knowledgeable.