Ikea, Ikano and The Curve are not places to go if one does not own a car. Wuan and I were there last Saturday. The cab fare from Pandan Perdana to Ikea was RM20.00. That was slightly more than what we paid for the trip to One-Utama for the Bloggers Meet in January. As long as the cabbie charged us according to the meter, we were happy to pay.

We went looking for a disabled toilet as soon as we go out from the taxi. The problem with disabled toilets at Ikea is that the male and female disabled toilets were located inside the respective normal toilets. Wuan was a little reluctant but we used the disabled toilet in the male side anyway.

Photo by Wuan.

The toilet was just large enough to fit a wheelchair in with some room for maneuver. There was even a button to call for help - the first I have seen anywhere in Malaysia. The sink was fitted at a height that was easy for people on wheelchairs to reach conveniently. Next to Mid Valley Jusco’s disabled toilet, this gets high ratings for functionality and a well thought out design, except for its location.

Photo by Wuan.

We had lunch at Manhattan Fish Market while waiting to meet up with De Book Worm. Wuan ordered Baked Fish in Garden Herbs. I had Crunchy Garden Salad. The salad was nothing to shout about. It was lettuce and tomatoes and some other vegetables with Thousand Island Dressing. The fish was served in a pan with rice. I stole a few bites. The rice was especially delicious.

Just as we finished our meal, De Book Worm arrived with hubby and daughter in tow. She had put up an entry on that meeting in her blog. As usual, I was the quieter one. Still, it was nice meeting up with someone whom I have only chatted with through Yahoo for the past few months. We parted ways at around 3:30pm and loitered around Ikano.

At around 7:00pm, we hopped over to The Curve for a light dinner and a quick look-see. We had planned to go back at 8:00pm. It was all quiet there, very unusual for a Saturday evening. When we passed Marche, there was a long queue waiting to get in. We were very tempted to eat there but decided otherwise. We did not want to be late in going back.

Photo by Wuan.

There were no taxis outside The Curve. We spotted a few parked at Ikano just across the road. Traffic was heavy but it was a good thing there was a pedestrian crossing. Cars stopped as we crossed. At Ikano, Wuan indicated to the first taxi in the queue that we wanted to go to Pandan Perdana.

“Empat puluh ringgit,” the cabbie said.

Wuan and I looked at each other in disbelief. We told him that the fare was only RM20 for the same journey that morning. He went on and on about the distance and that he had waited for a while there. We ignored him as he babbled on.

“Brapa lu mau bayar?”

We shook our heads.

“Dua puluh lima ringgit.”

We shook our heads again. We would not get into his taxi even if he went down to RM20. These are the dishonest and lazy cab drivers that are giving the industry a bad name. Wuan called a radio cab but the operator said there was no response. There were several people waiting across the road at The Curve. We thought we could hail a passing cab there too. After waiting unsuccessfully for a while, we thought about William and called him up to “rescue” us.

“Have a drink first. I’ll call you when I’m there” he said. William stays at Pandan Perdana too.

Photo by Wuan.

We went browsing at Ikea instead. It was almost closing time. I got a few packets of tea light candles. Wuan bought several other items not available elsewhere. William called while we were at the checkout counter. After paying, we tried to get out of Ikea the same way we went in that morning but the guard asked us to use another exit. That main entrance was locked and he did not have the keys to it.

Cynthia and Wuan wasted half an hour looking for an exit, she from the outside and Wuan from the inside. That was ridiculous. Obstacles that were put up to prevent the shopping trolleys from being taken out of the premises also prevented my wheelchair from going out. There were no signs to indicate where people in wheelchairs could exit after closing time. Thank God for caring friends like William and Cynthia who got us out of sticky situations like these time and again.

On the morning of 1 June, at around 1240pm, Encik Ramlan from the Baggage Claim Unit of Malaysia Airlines called me regarding my damaged wheelchair. He called to find out if I had sent the bill to them for my claim to be processed. He said he will try to expedite the reimbursement, possibly by Friday, when his boss returns to the office. Wuan had taken the required documents to fax it over to Malaysia Airlines for me. He called me back a short while later to inform me that he had received the documents and will definitely get back to me by Friday.

The next morning, Encik Remy from Malaysia Airlines called at around 9:00am. He wanted to find out more regarding my complaint. I told him like what I had written in the email. I took the opportunity to suggest that their staff handling such situations be educated to manage it with more compassion because our needs could be very different from that of other people. Hopefully, we can see some changes where handling of disabled passengers and their equipment are concerned.

Encik Ramlan called me at 10:35am this morning. He asked if we could meet. When I told him that I am homebound on weekdays, he suggested that he come over to meet me. He arrived at 11:35am and handed a letter from Malaysia Airlines’ Customer Relations Executive in reply to the email complaint. At the same time, he also brought a Receipt and Discharge Voucher for me to sign. I was reimbursed the full RM1300.00 for the new wheelchair.

I also conveyed to him that I hope incidents like these will not recur again the next time I fly with them. Their staff handling such cargo should be more careful. At the same time, staff manning the Lost and Found Office should have taken the initiative to get me a substitute wheelchair instead of washing his hands off me after taking down my report.

Here, I would like to record my gratitude to Jeff Ooi. He highlighted this issue in not one but three entries in Screenshots and invited his readers to write to Malaysia Airlines “for more sikap penyayang to be showered on disabled people” flying with them. I would also like to say a resounding “Thank You” to all readers of Screenshots and The Digital Awakening for writing to Malaysia Airlines regarding my complaint and all those who had one way or another helped in their own special ways and given me moral support. Please accept my sincere appreciation. Malaysia is a better place because of your kindness.

Related entries:
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Letter to Malaysia Airlines

Related entries from Screenshots:
MAS: Mana Ada Sayang?
MAS: Mana Ada Sayang?… ( 2 )
MAS: Mana Ada Sayang?…( 3 )

Other blogs:
MAS sucks ~ Maobi
Bad apple in Mas ~ Willwolf’s Den
MAS, you make me look down on you ~ Moments