| MELEE ON THE MOVE June 10th 2009 |
One early Sunday some years ago, I was driving along the
Sungai Besi Road into KL city. Traffic was light on the three-
lane expressway and the nearest car was about 100 metres
head of me, in the centre lane; we were both doing about
80kph. Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by the wail of a
siren; a lone motorcycle outrider swooped in from the left,
coming off the interchange from the Federal Highway. He went
ahead of the car that was in front of me, waved his right arm
and slowed right down. The next thing I saw was an explosion
of motorcycle and car parts, followed by a boom, and the
outrider sliding and spinning on the road. The driver had been
looking left, to see what the outrider was leading.
It was a surreal situation; I found myself right up close to
something that action movie camera and stunt crews usually
have to plan meticulously to capture. It was a ringside seat,
and everything was happening in slow motion. I still have a
vivid image of the fallen cop - his face was full of surprise and
anger even as he was sliding along, and he was shaking his
finger at the driver of the erstwhile car! I got a glance of the
driver as I passed his car to find a safe spot to stop; he was in
shock, his arms flailing and bringing his hands to cover his
face, as the realisation of what he had done hit him.
We all eventually stopped. The rest of the entourage came
along and stopped briefly; it continued on when it was
established that no one was seriously injured. The fallen cop
got a ride to the hospital in the car that crashed into him,
which must have really made the day for that driver.
I am sure that outrider, to this day, is very angry and indignant
that the driver dared to crash into him, and, more importantly,
defy his authority.
That was not an isolated incident, as had been proven, and I
am sure something similar will happen again, if the attitude
does not change.
That is the problem with the situation that is currently so hotly
debated, isn’t it? Attitude. Our law enforcement officers
seriously believe that the authority vested upon them elevate
them to the level of being untouchable, even of being divine.
How else can you explain their behaviour in certain
situations? Who in his right mind would ride recklessly in our
traffic, knowing full well how atrocious the standard of driving
is? A Mat Rempit? Yes. But surely not an officer who is sworn
to serve and to protect (the people and not just VVIPs). And
surely not one who has a family to go back to.
Rushing about in blind faith, even for those who are
supposedly well trained, is an accident looking for a place to
happen. If they were really well trained, they would not even
dare take their motorcycles out onto our roads.
Attitude. It also explains why some outriders get so rude and
overbearing; they forget their place in society. Just like what
has been happening with the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) -
our riot squad which found itself being sued for infringement
of basic human rights, after manhandling certain members of
a sector of the population that is becoming increasing aware
of such things – the PDRM (Polis DiRaja Malaysia) will have to
try its best to rein in its over-exuberant officers. Even if the
officers cannot understand why, their superiors will, when the
top brass comes down hard on them.
The days of intimidation, of frightening the people into
submission, is drawing to a close. One way to hasten that is
to put pressure on the top brass; the people have to show
who the real bogeyman is. melauto@yahoo.com
Sungai Besi Road into KL city. Traffic was light on the three-
lane expressway and the nearest car was about 100 metres
head of me, in the centre lane; we were both doing about
80kph. Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by the wail of a
siren; a lone motorcycle outrider swooped in from the left,
coming off the interchange from the Federal Highway. He went
ahead of the car that was in front of me, waved his right arm
and slowed right down. The next thing I saw was an explosion
of motorcycle and car parts, followed by a boom, and the
outrider sliding and spinning on the road. The driver had been
looking left, to see what the outrider was leading.
It was a surreal situation; I found myself right up close to
something that action movie camera and stunt crews usually
have to plan meticulously to capture. It was a ringside seat,
and everything was happening in slow motion. I still have a
vivid image of the fallen cop - his face was full of surprise and
anger even as he was sliding along, and he was shaking his
finger at the driver of the erstwhile car! I got a glance of the
driver as I passed his car to find a safe spot to stop; he was in
shock, his arms flailing and bringing his hands to cover his
face, as the realisation of what he had done hit him.
We all eventually stopped. The rest of the entourage came
along and stopped briefly; it continued on when it was
established that no one was seriously injured. The fallen cop
got a ride to the hospital in the car that crashed into him,
which must have really made the day for that driver.
I am sure that outrider, to this day, is very angry and indignant
that the driver dared to crash into him, and, more importantly,
defy his authority.
That was not an isolated incident, as had been proven, and I
am sure something similar will happen again, if the attitude
does not change.
That is the problem with the situation that is currently so hotly
debated, isn’t it? Attitude. Our law enforcement officers
seriously believe that the authority vested upon them elevate
them to the level of being untouchable, even of being divine.
How else can you explain their behaviour in certain
situations? Who in his right mind would ride recklessly in our
traffic, knowing full well how atrocious the standard of driving
is? A Mat Rempit? Yes. But surely not an officer who is sworn
to serve and to protect (the people and not just VVIPs). And
surely not one who has a family to go back to.
Rushing about in blind faith, even for those who are
supposedly well trained, is an accident looking for a place to
happen. If they were really well trained, they would not even
dare take their motorcycles out onto our roads.
Attitude. It also explains why some outriders get so rude and
overbearing; they forget their place in society. Just like what
has been happening with the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) -
our riot squad which found itself being sued for infringement
of basic human rights, after manhandling certain members of
a sector of the population that is becoming increasing aware
of such things – the PDRM (Polis DiRaja Malaysia) will have to
try its best to rein in its over-exuberant officers. Even if the
officers cannot understand why, their superiors will, when the
top brass comes down hard on them.
The days of intimidation, of frightening the people into
submission, is drawing to a close. One way to hasten that is
to put pressure on the top brass; the people have to show
who the real bogeyman is. melauto@yahoo.com
J.D. Power Asia Pacific Reports: Overall Customer
Satisfaction with the New-Vehicle Sales Experience in
Malaysia Increases As Gap Narrows Between
National and Non-National Brands
Isuzu Ranks Highest in Sales Satisfaction in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur: 8 September 2009 — Overall sales satisfaction among new-
vehicle owners in Malaysia has increased from 2008 as the gap between
Malaysian brands and non-national brands narrows, according to the J.D.
Power Asia Pacific 2009 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) StudySM
released today.
Now in its seventh year, the study measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction
with the sales and delivery experience and examines seven key factors that
contribute to overall satisfaction. In order of importance, these factors are
delivery process; delivery timing; paperwork; dealer facility; salesperson; deal
and sales initiation. SSI performance is reported as an index score based on a
1,000-point scale, where a higher overall SSI score indicates greater
satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales and delivery process.
Overall sales satisfaction has increased by three points from 2008 to an
average of 781 in 2009. Satisfaction has increased in three of seven factors:
salesperson, delivery process and delivery timing. Among these factors,
delivery timing increases most notably. Satisfaction with the four remaining
factors decreased, with the greatest decline occurring in the dealer facility
factor.
As a whole, Malaysian national brands (Inokom, Naza, Perodua and Proton)
improve by an average of six points from 2008. In contrast, the non-national
brands included in the study decrease by an average of seven points, as a
whole. Although national brands still trail non-national brands by 16 index
points, this is considerably less than the gap observed in 2008 of 29 points.
National brands overall demonstrate the greatest improvement in the delivery
timing factor and have also improved considerably from 2008 in the sales
initiation and delivery process factors.
Among the nine brands ranked in the study, Isuzu ranks highest in overall new-
vehicle sales satisfaction with a score of 805 and performs particularly well in
six of seven factors: delivery process; paperwork; dealer facility; salesperson;
deal and sales initiation. Following Isuzu in the rankings are Toyota (798) and
Suzuki (793). Toyota performs particularly well in the delivery timing. Also
ranking above the industry average are Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan (tied at
783 each).
The study finds that delivery times have shortened by 2.6 days from an average
of 20.4 days in 2008 to 17.8 days in 2009 . Customers who say delivery timing
is “better than expected” received their vehicle in 10.5 days, on average.
Meanwhile, those who say delivery timing is “worse than expected” in 2009
received their vehicles in 39.2 days, on average. This marks an improvement of
12.6 days, or nearly 24 percent, compared with 2008. In addition, the
percentage of customers who report that delivery timing was “worse than
expected” has decreased by three percent from 2008.
“Shortened delivery times are largely attributable to the economic downturn
and reduced demand at dealerships,” said Taku Kimoto, general manager for
Malaysia at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. “In light of this, consumer
expectations around delivery times are changing. Dealers and manufacturers
will need to continuously improve in this area to keep pace with these
expectations.”
The study also finds the overall satisfaction with delivery timing decreases as
delivery times lengthen. On average, among customers who receive their
vehicles in four days or less, satisfaction with delivery timing is nearly 50 points
higher than average. Conversely, among customers who receive their vehicles
in 32 days or more, delivery timing satisfaction is 97 points lower than average.
The study also finds that customer satisfaction with the overall purchase
experience has a strong impact on dealer loyalty and advocacy. Approximately
69 percent of “delighted” customers (those providing a rating of 10 on a 10-
point scale) say they “definitely would” recommend their dealer, compared to
just four percent among “disappointed” customers (those providing a rating of
five or less). Similarly, approximately 53 percent of “delighted” customers say
they “definitely would” repurchase from the same dealer, compared with just
one percent among “disappointed” customers.
The study finds that the percentage of customers who negotiate the price of
their vehicle has increased by seven percent from 2008 to 72 percent in 2009.
At the same time, the percentage of customers who believe that it is necessary
to negotiate to obtain the lowest price and also indicate that they do not enjoy
negotiating has also increased by six percent.
“Given the current economic environment, customers are becoming more price
sensitive,” said Kimoto. “Although some customers are reluctant to negotiate,
they feel strongly about pushing to receive lower prices.”
The 2009 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study is based on the
responses of more than 2,400 new-vehicle owners who purchased their
vehicles between September 2008 and April 2009. The study was fielded
between March and June 2009. The SSI Study is one of three consumer-based
studies conducted annually in Malaysia by J.D. Power Asia Pacific. The 2009
Malaysia Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, which measures new-vehicle
owner satisfaction with after-sales dealership service, was released in July.
Satisfaction with the New-Vehicle Sales Experience in
Malaysia Increases As Gap Narrows Between
National and Non-National Brands
Isuzu Ranks Highest in Sales Satisfaction in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur: 8 September 2009 — Overall sales satisfaction among new-
vehicle owners in Malaysia has increased from 2008 as the gap between
Malaysian brands and non-national brands narrows, according to the J.D.
Power Asia Pacific 2009 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) StudySM
released today.
Now in its seventh year, the study measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction
with the sales and delivery experience and examines seven key factors that
contribute to overall satisfaction. In order of importance, these factors are
delivery process; delivery timing; paperwork; dealer facility; salesperson; deal
and sales initiation. SSI performance is reported as an index score based on a
1,000-point scale, where a higher overall SSI score indicates greater
satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales and delivery process.
Overall sales satisfaction has increased by three points from 2008 to an
average of 781 in 2009. Satisfaction has increased in three of seven factors:
salesperson, delivery process and delivery timing. Among these factors,
delivery timing increases most notably. Satisfaction with the four remaining
factors decreased, with the greatest decline occurring in the dealer facility
factor.
As a whole, Malaysian national brands (Inokom, Naza, Perodua and Proton)
improve by an average of six points from 2008. In contrast, the non-national
brands included in the study decrease by an average of seven points, as a
whole. Although national brands still trail non-national brands by 16 index
points, this is considerably less than the gap observed in 2008 of 29 points.
National brands overall demonstrate the greatest improvement in the delivery
timing factor and have also improved considerably from 2008 in the sales
initiation and delivery process factors.
Among the nine brands ranked in the study, Isuzu ranks highest in overall new-
vehicle sales satisfaction with a score of 805 and performs particularly well in
six of seven factors: delivery process; paperwork; dealer facility; salesperson;
deal and sales initiation. Following Isuzu in the rankings are Toyota (798) and
Suzuki (793). Toyota performs particularly well in the delivery timing. Also
ranking above the industry average are Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan (tied at
783 each).
The study finds that delivery times have shortened by 2.6 days from an average
of 20.4 days in 2008 to 17.8 days in 2009 . Customers who say delivery timing
is “better than expected” received their vehicle in 10.5 days, on average.
Meanwhile, those who say delivery timing is “worse than expected” in 2009
received their vehicles in 39.2 days, on average. This marks an improvement of
12.6 days, or nearly 24 percent, compared with 2008. In addition, the
percentage of customers who report that delivery timing was “worse than
expected” has decreased by three percent from 2008.
“Shortened delivery times are largely attributable to the economic downturn
and reduced demand at dealerships,” said Taku Kimoto, general manager for
Malaysia at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. “In light of this, consumer
expectations around delivery times are changing. Dealers and manufacturers
will need to continuously improve in this area to keep pace with these
expectations.”
The study also finds the overall satisfaction with delivery timing decreases as
delivery times lengthen. On average, among customers who receive their
vehicles in four days or less, satisfaction with delivery timing is nearly 50 points
higher than average. Conversely, among customers who receive their vehicles
in 32 days or more, delivery timing satisfaction is 97 points lower than average.
The study also finds that customer satisfaction with the overall purchase
experience has a strong impact on dealer loyalty and advocacy. Approximately
69 percent of “delighted” customers (those providing a rating of 10 on a 10-
point scale) say they “definitely would” recommend their dealer, compared to
just four percent among “disappointed” customers (those providing a rating of
five or less). Similarly, approximately 53 percent of “delighted” customers say
they “definitely would” repurchase from the same dealer, compared with just
one percent among “disappointed” customers.
The study finds that the percentage of customers who negotiate the price of
their vehicle has increased by seven percent from 2008 to 72 percent in 2009.
At the same time, the percentage of customers who believe that it is necessary
to negotiate to obtain the lowest price and also indicate that they do not enjoy
negotiating has also increased by six percent.
“Given the current economic environment, customers are becoming more price
sensitive,” said Kimoto. “Although some customers are reluctant to negotiate,
they feel strongly about pushing to receive lower prices.”
The 2009 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study is based on the
responses of more than 2,400 new-vehicle owners who purchased their
vehicles between September 2008 and April 2009. The study was fielded
between March and June 2009. The SSI Study is one of three consumer-based
studies conducted annually in Malaysia by J.D. Power Asia Pacific. The 2009
Malaysia Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, which measures new-vehicle
owner satisfaction with after-sales dealership service, was released in July.