Following complaints by staff about salary arrears and the sale of its headquarters in Shah Alam, many members of the automotive body are cancelling their yearly membership subscriptions, which, in the past, provided them with emergency help in the case of vehicle breakdowns.
A check by FMT revealed that the motoring authority, which once reigned supreme among motorists who considered its membership a must, is a pale shadow of its former self.
Its website has not been updated in months, and a notice of its 2014 annual general meeting still adorns the front page.
A member, Mohd Noramil Daril, said the services provided by AAM had also been poor of late.
“When there is a car break down, calls to AAM go unanswered. Many of AAM’s branches have closed down and it does not make any sense for me to maintain my membership by paying RM100 a year. It is better for me to look for a better service provider,” he told FMT.
Another member, who only wanted to be known as Sofia, said she was considering ending her membership with AAM after 22 years.
“AAM used to provide good services. They always came when I called them,” she said, adding this was no longer the case.
She related her predicament on August 30, where she suffered a car break down and AAM was a no-show, even after five hours of being contacted.
Another member, who only wanted to be known as Regina, is demanding a refund from AAM after she was forced to hire another tow truck provider following a car break down, despite paying for AAM membership.
In its prime, AAM’s membership stood at 400,000, but now, there are only 36,000 left.
The association is facing a RM6 million debt crisis, and was recently reported to have sold its headquarters to a chemical solutions company for RM7.5 million.
Apart from financial woes, AAM could also face the music from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), for not contributing its share of contributions for the past one year.