The victim of a "Scratch & Win" gift scam involving an electrical company today said that he will file an application with the Tribunal for Consumer Claims to get reimbursement of payments he made for "free" gifts.

"I have been advised by the Selangor and Federal Territory Consumer's Association (SFTCA) to file a case with the tribunal since the company involved is not responding and our complaint with the ministry is also taking a long time," Norazlan Zainal Abidin said when contacted by malaysiakini today.

Over the past few weeks, malaysiakini had highlighted the case of Norazlan, who was lured into buying RM3,881 worth of electronic goods after he "won" a Scratch-and-Win coupon from Aowa Electrical Sdn. Bhd.

The company has been sending coupons to households which it claimed were randomly selected from a computer list since last December. "Lucky" winners are entitled to claim a number of prizes.

In one such recent promotion, the major prizes consisted of an RM1,588 Pioneer Mini VCD home theatre system plus a RM100 cash voucher from the nearest participating outlet. However, in order to redeem the free gifts and the cash voucher, customers are required to purchase one of the five electronic items on sale in the shop, which are priced much higher than normal.

Norazlan lodged a complaint with the SFTCA last month after numerous attempts to seek clarification from the company failed. The association then e-mailed a complaint to the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

"We received a letter from the ministry last week informing us that the matter has been referred to the relevant division," SFTCA director M. Soosairaj said when contacted today.

Soosairaj added that the ministry has, however, not asked for any documents to substantiate the complaint.

"We have already alerted them through the e-mail and have to just wait and see if any action is taken as it is all within the ministry's jurisdiction. Furthermore, as an association, we can only advise the complainant to seek another avenue to highlight his case," he added.

Soosairaj also said that Norazlan's case was being built on the grounds that the company imposed an inflated price for the item he (Norazlan) purchased.

Norazlan only purchased the microwave oven but ended up paying RM7,000 for other gifts and prizes as well as transportation charges and taxes.

"The company issued him a lump sum bill of RM7,000 without breaking down the billings of the other items. Therefore we have a case here that he had to pay an inflated price for the item he purchased," Soosairaj said.

He added that Norazlan was also having difficulty finding the same product in other electrical shops to compare its actual retail price. "It seems that the company is the sole agent of the Aowa items and its products are not sold by other shops," he said.

Meanwhile, Norazlan said that he has only used the microwave oven that he purchased.

"I have not opened up the items as I hope to get a refund of my money and return them," he said.

The Tribunal for Consumer Claims is an independent body established under the Consumer Protection Act 1999 with the primary function of hearing and determining claims lodged by consumers under the Act and subject to the provisions of the Act.

It was officially launched on Feb 24 by Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin. The primary objective of the tribunal is to provide an alternative channel, apart from the court, to a consumer to claim for any loss suffered in respect of any good or services purchased or acquired in a less cumbersome and speedy manner and at minimal cost.

The tribunal heard its first case on March 2, when businesswoman Judy Lee Yee Han was paid RM150 in claims for a velvet coat that was damaged by a laundry. Tribunal chairman Azizah Mahamud ordered laundry operator Chan Cho Hang to pay the claimant RM150.