[Watch] Time Is Money, And This Massage Centre Paid The Price Over An Unverified Clock

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A massage centre in Sabah has been fined after a clock used to calculate service time was found to be unverified and without an official verification sticker.

The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) in Sabah recently posted a video on TikTok showing enforcement action against a non-compliant massage business.

During the inspection, officers found that a clock inside a massage room did not carry the required verification sticker.

The video also showed an example of the approved sticker, reminding businesses not to overlook the requirement.

KPDN said that where time, weight, or length is used as the basis for charging customers, the relevant timing, weighing, or measuring instrument must be officially verified and bear a valid verification sticker.

This means that where a massage centre charges according to the duration of a treatment, the clock or timer used to calculate that duration may be considered a commercial measuring instrument and must comply with the applicable requirements.

An ordinary wall clock displayed in a shop solely to tell the time, and not used to calculate a customer’s bill, is not considered a commercial measuring instrument.

Businesses that charge customers by the hour should also ensure their equipment complies with the rules.

These may include:

KPDN urged businesses to inspect all clocks, timers, electronic billing systems, weighing scales, and other measuring devices that affect customer charges.

Required equipment should be properly verified and display a valid sticker to avoid enforcement action and fines.

For consumers, the bottom line is simple: if you believe you have been overcharged, shortchanged, or otherwise treated unfairly because of inaccurate time-based billing or measurement, report the matter to KPDN and keep supporting evidence such as receipts, photographs, booking records, and relevant timestamps.

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