Solaris Dutamas tenants, owners face multiple problems with retail area

In unison: Tenants and owners have joined forces to voice their problems. (Photos by DANIL ROSLAN)
Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/10/25/central/9748626&sec=central (By PRIYA MENON, 25.10.2011)
TENANTS and owners of commercial units in Solaris Dutamas Kuala Lumpur have joined forces to voice their problems against the joint management of the retail and office. Some 200 affected tenants and owners from Block C and D have signed a petition to the four different management offices of the development. They organised a press conference with Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng recently to highlight the issue.
Most of them said there are several things that have hampered their business in the area. One of the most pertinent problem was the delay in the completion of Publika shopping mall and the commercial units. According to them, works at Solaris Dutamas should have been completed two years ago but the construction is still on going.
Spidy Aktifan, a tenant said, it was dangerous for people walking around with construction debris flying around.
Basil Joseph, the owner of Comida restaurant, said he had started a comments form for his customers and most of the 200 forms are about the condition of the place. “Once customers declined to come into the restaurant because the front was dirty and dusty from all the construction work,” he said.
Another tenant Florence Lambert said many of her customers found it difficult to find parking spots inside the building. The lack of signages also makes it difficult for people to find their way to the retail units. “Most of the time, I have to go down to the carpark and bring them up. We put so much effort to make it look nice and it is a shame if we cannot welcome our customers properly,” she said.
The parking rates have also increased to RM1 for the first hour followed by RM2 for every subsequent hour. The stakeholders feel that this would not encourage customers who will resort to other malls because of the high rates. They are also unhappy that their units are not given proper publicity and are treated as a separate entity from Publika that has received numerous advertisements and articles in local media.
Deciding to take matters into their own hands, the business operators printed their own buntings and banners along the corridors and the car park. However, they were told they could not do that. During the weekend, security guards would go around collecting the banners and place them in the carpark to be picked up by respective owners. They were upset with the management, who have turned a deaf ear to the cries, despite their efforts to improve the situation.
Lim said the developer and management, Sunrise Bhd, had been sold off to a government linked company several months ago. “I will try to speak to the former owners and see if they still have control over Solaris Dutamas and request that they meet up with stakeholders. If that fails I will write in to the new owners requesting a meeting,” he added.
One of the tenants who started the idea for the meeting, Leong Hoo-Yin, said all the affected parties are also looking at setting up an association to deal with the problem professionally.