From CustomerDiscuss.Com
Airtel Ghana has hit back at claims from customers about their clandestine means of ‘stealing’ their credits by blaming the customers for not paying attention to their messages.
CustomerDiscuss.Com has for the past few days been inundated with complaints from users of the network for their sneaky way of getting credits off of them, and the company has held a media workshop where they supposedly ‘schooled’ the Ghanaian media on how their data services work.
At the workshop, the company said customers failed to pay attention to the notifications given to them that their bundle was running out, thus leading to them being switched to pay as you go upon its expiration.
In direct contradiction to everything we have heard from complaining customers, Airtel claims they notify customers with about five messages throughout their use of data.
“For instance an Airtel customer will receive their first notification when they have used 50% of their data bundles, then at 75% another notification is pushed to the customer. If the customer takes no action to renew the bundle, a third notification will be sent at 90%, at 95% and then finally at 100% when the bundle is completely used.” Louis Manu, head of product Development and Innovation told the workshop.
“We have had this notification system in place for some time now. What we have done over the last couple of weeks is to further reinforce them as an early warning system to give our customers the opportunity to renew their bundles.
So apparently, Airtel has been sending customers all these notifications, but they just refused to heed the messages, because they wanted their credit to be wasted?
“The number one cause of customer complaints regarding disappearing airtime can be traced to those who did not take action or deleted notifications without reading them, thereby allowing the system to revert to PAYG. To ensure this incidence is curtailed, we have introduced what we call flash messaging – which is basically an advanced form of notification that pops up when a data bundle is at 95% usage. The notification does not disappear from the screen until you take action to purchase a bundle or dismiss it. This is one of the innovative ways we are resolving this challenge and is in direct response to feedback from our customers.
“We take every customer feedback seriously and strive to investigate and expedite action on such complaints. Our Customer Experience team are relentless in their effort to resolve all customer issues at all touch points – via our call centers, shops or social media platforms”. He added, which might surprise some of the more bitter customers who have written to us.
He added that other causes for ‘disappearing credit’ could be background apps updating, or in the case of Wi-fi, not securing it and therefore letting others tap into it.
“We recognise that customers need more education about these and many other issues that come up and we will continue to use all available channels including social media to create awareness to ensure that they have the best experience on our network,” he added, continuing the theme of blaming everyone but Airtel Ghana for the hell they are putting their customers through.
For some of the more egregious things they have put their customers through, including those who wrote to CustomerDiscuss.Com with their complaints (here and here)- it seems Airtel Ghana are engaging in victim blaming, which is the lowest thing they could do in response to the complaints of their own paying customers. It’s your fault, not ours, they are trumpeting to their customers.
About CustomerDiscuss.Com:
Customer service in Ghana and most parts of Africa is the crappiest we’ve ever come across; as if Ghanaians or Africans use mango leaves to pay for services. The broadband never works, the electricity is never on, the water never flows—and the waitress can keep you waiting for your food until hunger kills your buds.
The real pain is, you have no alternative to turn to—because, like a gang of fools, they are all the same.
Almost every service and product delivering company in Africa has it butt in the faces of customers, farting uncontrollably because the customer cannot really do anything. Mostly, if you quietly complain, they do nothing and if you are unlucky, they tell you to go f**k off.
Consumers have no voice, not even individual voices—let alone a collective one to force any sort of change.
So we’ve started this website-CustomerDiscuss.Com, supported by GhanaCelebrities.Com and other platforms, dedicated to corporate and public Africa, especially Ghana—-it’s time we shame some of these companies, tear down their lousy services, help them to lose customers and force them to do what’s right.
If you have a complaint about your telecom company, internet provider, a restaurant, your bank or even your church, shoot an email to us via; [email protected] or call/whatsapp 00447961817712.
When you go to a restaurant and you are served in a broken plate or on a dirty table, just take some photos and send them to us with the needed details.
Together, we can get these people to be accountable and importantly, do what’s expected of them.
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IT IS UNFAIR TO BLAME THEM FOR CUSTOMER BLAMING WHEN YOU DID NOT FIND OUT IF THEY TRUELY SENDS MESSAGES TO CUSTOMERS THAT IT HAS REACHED 100,IF YOU HAVE BEEN SENT A MESSAGE AND DID NOT READ IT OR TAKE ACTION U CANT BLAME THE TELCO