A subscriber from Lagos named Olamide Adebowale has accused MTN Nigeria of sending him through many customer support lines rather than providing the 30GB data bundle he paid for via the telecom’s self-service platform, ENigeria Newspaper has learnt this through an FIJ (Foundation of Investigative Journalism) report.
On March 30, Adebowale used the telecom company’s self-service website to pay N9,000 for his MTN MiFi router’s data subscription. He said that the funds were deposited into a Sterling Bank account with the name CORALPAY-Nex Gen, number 5293085618.
“Shortly after not getting the data I paid for, I called 300, and I was asked to wait for 24 hours to get feedback. On Tuesday, I called again but the customer service agent asked me to escalate the complaint to 217″, he said.
“The agent I spoke with on Wednesday told me that directing me to call 217 was an error on the part of the agent I previously spoke with, and that the correct line was 216.”
He claimed that after speaking with a representative on 216, he was informed that a supervisor will give him a call back. Later, a supervisor from 671 called, requested the payment’s transaction ID, and instructed him to return the call within a day.
However, he was informed that the number was intended for MoMo services and not his complaint when he called 671 once again that evening. After that, he was sent back to 217.
“It is rather unfortunate that I have had to go through these painstaking processes for four consecutive days just to resolve an issue of this minute scale and nature,” he lamented.
According to FIJ, the telecom provider ought to have made it clear to customers how to file a complaint, whether via telecom channels or at specific service sites.
In Adebowale’s instance, there was no resolution despite being routed over several service lines, including 300, 217, 216, and 671. Additionally, he was not always able to access a dedicated support channel and was given contradictory instructions.
This is in line with the the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 which provides that consumers have a right to “timely performance and completion of services”.
As at the time of filing this report, the company has not resolves the matter for the customer, though it promised to do in 24 hours after FIJ contacted it on Monday.
