11 AAM branches closed in 3 months

PETALING JAYA: Crippled by mounting financial woes, the Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) has wound up half of its branches nationwide over the last three months.
Of its 18 branches, including its head office in Shah Alam, only seven are still operating.
Staff at several branches said the association's inability to stay afloat had resulted in the closure of its offices in Negri Sembilan, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor, Kedah, Penang and Malacca.
Following the closure of the Kota Baru and Kuala Terengganu offices, the Kuantan branch became the only one in the East Coast region.
"Although the offices are closed, some employees still work from home and are contactable through their personal numbers," said a staff from the Kuantan branch.
Similarly, AAM's George Town office is the only one remaining in the northern region, following the closure of the Butterworth branch last month, and the Ipoh and Sungai Petani branches in neighbouring Perak and Kedah.
However, the closure caught members off-guard as it came without notice.
"Sometime in June, I called AAM Seremban for a new battery and a personnel was sent over," said AAM member M. N. Vasuthevan.
"I called the person when I couldn't start my car and found that the battery had no warranty. I was told that he was no longer with AAM and that he had purchased the battery from somewhere else, which prompted me to go to the AAM office in Seremban earlier this week. That is when I found out they had closed."
While phone lines at the Kuching branch were still active, sources confirmed it has ceased operations.
There are currently no AAM offices in Kuala Lumpur, as the outlet which was previously located at the Ampang Park Shopping Complex had to be closed when the building was recently earmarked for demolition to make way for the construction of the Ampang Park Mass Rapid Transit station.
It is learnt AAM's breakdown assistance services are still available in some states, and insurance enquiries can be done through the phone at the branches that are still open.
Operations are running as usual at AAM's branches in Shah Alam, Klang, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, George Town, Kuantan and Johor.
The motoring association has been floundering over debts amounting to RM4.5 million.