Telecoms Services and the Consumer

In less than a decade, our social and economic culture has been drastically transformed, courtesy of the telecommunications revolution. Nigeria has played ‘catch-up’ with the rest of the world so fast; that we rank high in the world in terms of access to telephone per person.
Most of us especially the business folks carry more than one, quite a few of us have more than five lines made up of every variation; gsm, cdma, internet, the list is endless. The rapid development in telecoms has had lots of positive impact on the Nigerian society. Communication is easier, business can be transacted with less travels, people can stay in touch with loved ones via voice, sms or email. Life is generally easier.
Privatization has also helped to bridge the class divide as irrespective of your social status, a gsm SIM of N200 is within your reach (even if it is to flash or send free ‘call me back’ texts!) I, however, still believe that cost should be eliminated altogether; after all, the service is actually access and not physical SIM but it seems I am the only one insisting on this.
With all these positives, come attendant challenges which the Nigerian consumer grapples with daily in trying to enjoy the benefits of telecoms. Either due to its unprecedented success, the sheer size of a deprived market, selfish corporate policies, insensitivity or ineffective regulatory policies and structures, the euphoria of success is fast giving way to dissonance, frustrations and simmering anger.
It seems our service providers and their regulators have patted themselves on the back for a job well done and gone to sleep while the consumer is victim of poor service delivery, bogus sales promos, unexplained deductions and many more ills.
At least more than half of the complaints we have received in the last few years have to do with telecoms service providers and ranges from simply tacky customer care to issues of fraudulent deductions, no access on prepaid services, inflexibility in service delivery, privacy violations etc. It appears that NCC is so focused on making the sector profitable that it has abdicated its responsibilities in ensuring that the service is commensurate to the charges.
It is to address these issues that the Lagos Consumer Forum (CAFON’s consumer empowerment initiative in conjunction with Lagos Television) for November will focus on telecoms services and the consumer’s rights and responsibilities. The aim is to give the consumer a platform to air grievances and seek resolution of the problems encountered in accessing services. The forum is also designed to better enlighten consumers of their rights and how to insist on them as well as their responsibilities in the transaction process.
The forum has been enlarged to allow all interested networks to have a customer care desk in order to attend to consumers with issues on the spot. ICT and telecoms consultants have also been invited to enlighten consumers and empower them to get value for their money. NCC and CPC are also expected so they can note the regulatory issues that might arise from consumer contributions. It is a public forum so everyone is invited. Date is Tuesday November 24 (every last Tuesday monthly) at Lagos Television Hall 2, Lateef Jakande Road Agidingbi, Ikeja. Time is 11am prompt. If you or anyone you know has issues with telecoms service, this is the forum to bring it to public notice and get resolution fast.
As a cursor to the forum, I sought consumer opinion on the issues in telecoms services via my instant public opinion platform (POP), i.e. Facebook. Below is a cross section of how Nigerian consumers feel about service delivery in telecoms. See you at the Forum.