‘Telecom subscribers lodged 3,019 complaints in first quarter’

• NCC resolves 99.2%

Telecommunications subscribers in the country lodged a total of 3,019 complaints against Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the first quarter of 2021. The figure is 435 higher than the number of complaints that were lodged in Q1, 2020.

According to the Q1, 2021 report on complaint management issued by the Consumer Affairs Bureau of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), a total of 3,019 consumer complaints were received from four channels established by the commission as compared to 2,854 complaints received in the first quarter of 2020.

NCC, which said it was able to resolve 99.2 per cent of the service-related complaints, listed the complaint channels explored by the complainants as the commission’s contact centre, through which the toll-free number 622 is managed; NCC consumer portal, NCC social media platforms and written documents.

In a statement, the NCC Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Ike Adinde, said that of the 3,019 consumer complaints, 2,995, representing 99.2 per cent, were successfully resolved while only 24, representing 0.8 per cent, were pending resolution.

A breakdown of the consumer complaints received within the period under review shows that 2,759 (91.4 per cent) came through the NCC contact centre; 188 (6.2 per cent) were received via NCC consumer portal; 50 (1.7 per cent) complaints came through the commission’s various social media platforms, while 22 (0.7 per cent) were written complaints.

A breakdown by service providers showed that 1,261 (51.8 per cent) of the total complaints were lodged by MTN customers; 973, representing 32.2 per cent, came from Airtel subscribers; 549 (18.2 per cent) were from Globacom subscribers; 179 (5.9 per cent) from 9Mobile customers, while the remaining 52 complaints came from customers of other licensees.

On a month-on-month basis, 971 complaints were received in January, 1,039 in February and 1,009 in March. The report also showed that issues relating to billings, quality of service/experience for voice as well as quality of service/experience for data were the three topmost complaint types from telecom consumers in the period under review.

Commenting on the report, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the commission, as a consumer-centric telecoms regulator, would continue to explore new initiatives to strengthen the existing consumer complaints management process while ensuring prompt and satisfactory resolution of all complaints.

He urged the consumers to continue to take advantage of the various channels made available by the commission, including the 622 toll-free consumer complaints line, the commission’s consumer web portal on its website and other social media channels to promptly lodge their complaints in the event of service dissatisfaction.

“NCC’s actions in this regard are in line with its mandate to protect and defend the rights and interests of the consumer, and to give concrete expression to its faith in the consumer as the lifeblood of the telecoms sector,” Danbatta said.