Subscribers lament shortage of customer care centres

TELECOMMUNICATIONS subscribers in Nigeria have called on Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to invest in more service outlets in the country.

This call was made at the weekend in Sagamu; Ogun State at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) organised Town Hall Meeting, with the theme: ‘Enlightening Rural Telecoms Consumers on their Rights and Privileges’.

Consumers, who attended the forum, complained bitterly about inadequate customer centres, especially in rural areas, stressing that they have been sidelined by the operators.

Today, Nigeria currently boasts of over 150 million telephone subscribers and has surpassed the 100 per cent teledensity mark.

The issue of continuos downward profile or telecommunications services (both voice and data) also resurfaced, as consumers unleashed their anger on service providers. They stressed that they are yet to get quality for their money. They urged NCC to intervene.

Other complaints tabled by subscribers included excessive telemarketing, depletion of credit, and poor or low consumer education, among others.

Representatives of telecommunications network operators at the event however, assured subscribers of their readiness to improve on quality of service and address all the issues raised by them.

Meanwhile, to sustain and improve on the growth of the telecommunications sector, estimated to worth over $32 billion, NCC also claimed that consumers have huge roles to play.

Speaking, the Director, Consumer Bureau at NCC, AlhajiAbdullahiMaikano, said as a major stakeholder, consumers too have certain obligations to carry out as users of telecommunications services.

These obligations, according to him included ensuring adequate protection of telecommunications infrastructures in their neighborhood; and reporting to the law enforcement agencies any act of vandalism to those infrastructures in their environment, among others.