In line with one of its mandate to provide redress for consumer’s abuse, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has commenced investigation into the operations of the Digital Satellite Television (DStv) based on the complaints of alleged consumer rights violations.
The council, in a notice of commencement of investigation signed by its
Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, and served on MultiChoice Nigeria Limited, the parent company of Dstv, disclosed that it had been inundated with a barrage of consumer complaints, alleging wide-range abuse of subscribers’ rights.
The consumer regulatory agency asserted that despite its earlier interventions in form of meetings with the satellite company, telephone and written correspondences with a view to ensuring that it addressed the issues and developed quality standards for the safeguard of the interest of consumers, complaints have been pouring in unabated against the company.
According to the notice of investigation, CPC stated that “these complaints in effect allege that the DStv service does not conform with international best practice and is specifically designed to exploit Nigerian consumers who have suffered loss by not being able to fully enjoy or receive the benefit or actualise the full purpose for which they purchased or subscribed to the service.”
CPC pointed out that the consumer complaints against DStv include “poor quality of service such as incessant disruption of service without compensation while subscription is current; wrongful abrupt disconnection of service during subsisting subscriptions; monthly subscriptions lasting less than 30 days; and poor redress mechanism and customer services.”
Others, it said, include “advertisements on customer care lines at the expense of consumers; poor implementation of decoder swap policy; and effecting price increase for subscriptions despite payment before due date of increase.”
The council disclosed that its investigation would involve receiving relevant evidence and documents from complainants, MultiChoice, satellite broadcast experts and any pertinent witnesses, including relevant sector regulators.
The company is expected to prepare a written response or position to the issues or allegations contained in its notice of investigation as well as to provide some other relevant documents and information needed to absolve it of the allegations.
The council’s action is in line with the focus and commitment of its current administration to engage in sectoral interventions to address the myriad of problems facing Nigerian consumers with a view to getting a saner market-place in the country.
Thisday
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