Tropicana responds to viral video of destruction at The Residences

PETALING JAYA (April 16): Property developer, Tropicana Corporation Bhd has responded to the video going viral on social media which shows a man who is allegedly a representative of a unit owner at The Residences, Kuala Lumpur going on a trail of destruction to show his dissatisfaction with the unit.

This is what the developer has to say in a statement released last night:   

"The actual owner took vacant possession officially of her unit at The Residences on March 23, 2019. She was satisfied except with the potential marble flooring defect. Based on Tropicana Customer Care Survey, on average, 89% of the feedback received from The Residences purchasers expressed that they were satisfied with their units and would recommend a Tropicana property to family and friends.

"The owner subsequently lodged a defect report to Tropicana solely on marble flooring on April 1, 2019. Tropicana was ready to rectify these defects based on its Standard Operating Procedure, and in accordance with the terms of agreement with the owner. The representative of the owner (person in the video, i.e. the “Representative”) demanded for specific members of Tropicana staff, main contractor and consultants to be present for a meeting on April 10, 2019 in the owner’s unit.

"On April 10, Tropicana staff, main contractor and consultants were present at the unit with the intention to resolve the potential defects highlighted as per the Representative’s request. However, before the consultants were able to explain the typical natural characteristics of marble flooring, the Representative deviated from the defects reported by the owner and started becoming aggressive. The Representative berated everyone and out of fear for their safety, the consultants decided to leave the unit. The internal staff of Tropicana also intended to leave however the Representative threatened to cause more damages. Even though Tropicana staff were traumatised, they remained within the unit out of safety concerns for its residents.

The incident in the videos subsequently took place, which the Representative raised other dissatisfactions apart from the potential marble flooring defect. It was evident from the sledgehammer that the Representative brought prior to the scheduled meeting, this was a premeditated action and he had no intention to resolve the matter in hand.

Immediately following the incident after the recording had ended, the Representative made specific verbal demands to Tropicana staff which include monetary compensation. The Representative emphasised and threatened that he would make it his life mission to damage Tropicana’s reputation if the Group does not accede to his demands.

"Today, Tropicana is in this situation as the Group refused to negotiate with such individual, who clearly has malicious intent towards the Group. This is clearly a premeditated attempt to extort financial gains from the Group.

"Tropicana is proud of The Residences as a whole, with its prime location at the heart of Kuala Lumpur City Centre and sitting atop an international 5-star hotel, W Kuala Lumpur which has received commendable reviews.

"The Group stands firm by its consultants and staff who have shown professionalism in handling this matter. The Group hopes that these unreasonable actions do not repeat as it completely undermines the whole building industry as well as the laws and regulations that govern housing development in Malaysia.

"This untoward incident has deeply affected the Tropicana team and the Group apologises to anyone that is affected by it. Tropicana remains committed towards continuously delivering quality homes that not only fulfill the lifestyle aspirations but also enhance the quality of life of its customers. As customer satisfaction is Tropicana’s top priority, the Group takes this as a learning opportunity to continuously improve its services."