WATCH THE NIGERIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS RIP OFFS

The global economic recession is forcing companies to do all desperate things to rip off the customer. Recently, there have been a rash of advertisements promising heaven on earth. In a country with as little as $3.00 (US) per day income, the promise of a million dollar as winning prize in a telecommunications company in Nigeria is making waves. However, based on the experience of the vast majority of people over the last twelve months or so, there is need to examine the claims of companies like GLOBACOM, ETISALAT and others to giving out mouth watering incentives.

BACKGROUND
Since last year, the national Telecommunications regulator Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had placed a ban on advertisement for sale of new mobile lines due to net work congestion, poor customer service, unusually high dropped call rates and other telecommunication put offs that were threatening the survival of the business. The smart telecommution devices a method of circumventing the directive by embarking promotions that pretended to encourage more calls rather than selling new lines. But they beat the regulator to the game by always ending their adverts by promising OLD & NEW SUBSCRIBERS equal access to the great rewards.
The news is that while the ETISALAT campaign is still on, the GLOBACOM WIN AND RULE PROMO promise of giving out five hundred (500) new cars to subscribers has virtually ended without as much as a thud. What would five hundred cars mean to their campaign?
Come with me to a few state governments and you would understand this company has so much to prove that their campaign was not a huge fraud. Almost every state government has transport company. There hundreds of transport companies in Nigeria and because cars or vehicles are mobile, they can always be seen on the roads. I know of some organisatiions with as little as tree branded cars whose vehicles are ubiquitous. No week passes without seeing one on the road. Now, if five hundred advertised cars are to be given out, GLOBACOM branded cars would be seen every day everywhere in Nigeria. I am a regular traveller and quite often prefer travelling by road. Since the so called campaign to give out five hundred cars, there is not even one that I have seen prompting me to ask where are the GLOBACOM cars on Nigerian roads?
Lagos State is home to more 15% of the country's population but home to more 40% of all the industries in the country.
A little arithmetic of consumer facts would help in making our analysis; more than 80% of all banking transaction nationwide take place in or through Lagos, almost 60% of inhabitants of Lagos own a handset majority have up to three (3) their representing their perceived providers of first choice. Therefore, my argument: there is no way the company could have run a promo for nearly six months and Lagos subscribers would not have won up to 75 cars if the Lagos population of nearly 15million is considered. Given the larger number of subscribers per kilometer, Lagos should be able to win up to two times that figure. Finally, if we consider the purchasing power, Lagos residents are about twice as others citizens to afford telephone services. So, no matter what index what applied, I am still curious that I am yet to see or hear from anyone I know of any one who has won the GLOBACOM WIN & RULE car. Compare these with the fact that when Lagos State Government under Governor Fashola and Tinubu brught in 180 buses, they were every where. So, GLOBACOM, where are the cars?
Incidentally, during the entire period of this dubious promo, I was busy travelling from state to state but NEVER saw one such vehicle. It leads to one conclusion:FRAUD
This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that there is weak if not non existent Consumer protection agency. Forget that there is one in name but it is only an apparatus for addressing angry customers. I am not aware that these promos are scrutinised by any ombudsman. There is no known agency that warehouses these promos or there claims.
SUGGESTIONS

1. The Financial crimes agency need to scrutinise Globacom's record to establish that the five hundred cars were given out. I have my doubts that they were.
2. Consumers need to come together under an umbrella to start protecting themselves from unscrupulous businesses who are capitalising on Nigeria's very weak institutions to exploit the people.
3. There is a need for the Ministry of Commerce to come up with guidelines for promos. The Central Bank and NAFDAC have a semblance of this check which makes it possible for claims made by advertisers to be checked before they go public. So, NCC should co-operate with consumers to ensure that telecommunications companies meet their public promise in accordance with their afore-disclosed rules.
4. GLOBACOM and other companies need to make full dislocures of their winners including addresses so as to prove that they were honest in that five hundred cars promo. Otherwise, consumers may begin to bycott and possibly picket their premises.
   
5. The press should come clean on this. This magnitude of fraud can not be going on and the media pretend not to know. Let there be thorough investigations, please.