Poor Customer Services In Ghana: My Experience With MTN-Ghana

I have read and heard so many implausible stories from many customers of various corporate organizations especially customers of the various Telecommunication Networks in Ghana as far as customer services are concerned but I never believed such stories. My reason? Very simple. Because it is said in my local language (Dagaare) that if you have heard from the bush telegraphs that someone’s dog attacks people because it is mad, you don’t just call that dog a mad one because of what you have heard.

The message this saying sought to put out is quite clear. Avoid being prejudicial because of what you have heard regarding a situation, event, thing or a person. So in my encounter with MTN-Ghana Customer Service Center last year, I tried as much as possible to avoid prejudice. It was in the afternoon of 27/12/15 when I decided to register for MTN Mobile Money with my MTN number. After the registration was done, the Mobile Money Agent demanded GHC5.00 as fee for the registration.

I questioned him what the GHC5.00 charge was for. He callously told me that MTN used to pay for the registration hence it was free. He further added that MTN had now tasked Mobile Money Agents to transfer that cost to the customers hence the GHC5.00 fee. I was not convinced but went ahead and paid the GHC5.00. When I arrived home, I decided to call MTN Customer Service Center to verify the authenticity or otherwise of the claims of the MTN Mobile Money Agent.

The Customer Service Representative who attended to me tasked me to go back for my money from the agent since MTN Mobile Money Registration is free. When I went back the next day to the take my “stolen” GHC5.00 from the agent, the agent was very rude, inconsiderate and uncompromising in saying he was not going to give the money back to me.

This agent simply couldn’t understand why I called Customer Service Center. In fact, he was exasperated. At this point, I made my decision known to this agent. I made it clear to him that I was going to make follow ups on my complaint at the MTN Customer Service Center in order to make sure that the right thing was done. To my surprise this agent, instead of showing remorse, arrogantly and boldly told me I could do whatever I wanted to do. His reason?

Your guess is as good as mine. On getting home, I decided to write to MTN-Ghana via Facebook. We exchanged messages between 28th and 30th December, 2015. All the MTN-Ghana team on Facebook kept telling me were apologies upon apologies and reassuring me that my complaints were being “investigated” and that they were going to update me “shortly”.

Having read enough of these messages from MTN-Ghana, I decided to send my last word to MTN-Ghana on 30.12.15 around 2 A.M which read; “Dear MTN Ghana, I would be very grateful if you could update me on the 'investigations' that you have been carrying out concerning the issue reported to your good office which you said you were going to update me 'shortly.'

I want to, however, add that I would have to resort to other means of getting justice from MTN Ghana and YASCO ENTERPRISE should this issue remain unresolved for the next 24 hours. This is not a threat. It is the choice of words of a concerned and a frustrated customer. It is not about my stolen GHC5.00. It is about dozens of GHC5.00 that have been stolen by YASCO ENTERPRISE from many other customers. Thanks for reading.”

At about 9 A. M same day, I got a call from a lady who said she was calling from MTN in connection with the complaints I had lodged with their office. She said virtually the same thing the Facebook team had been telling me. I told her my piece of mind. After about 20 minutes after she hanged up her call, I received another call from a man who introduced himself as the Regional Manager of MTN-Ghana for the Upper West Region.

He took down some few details from me as regards my complaints and told me he was going to get in touch with me as soon as he spoke to the Mobile Money Agent. He called back in less than 5minutes and told me to go back for my GHC5.00. He added “if you go and he (the agent) refuses to give you the money, call me. I would suspend his line.” When I got to the office of the agent and without me uttering a word, this agent shamefully handed me my GHC5.00. I guess by now my readership would have these questions running through their minds; “so you think you are a hero or do you expect us to clap for you?” No. I am far from being a hero as far as this issue is concerned. The thrust of my article is to share my experiences, observations and lessons with the MTN Customer Service Center with my readership.

The first observation I made in my interaction with MTN Customer Service Center was that the staff who are in charge of the voice calls lack good manners. This could be a fallacy of composition. But, at least, this assertion is true for the lady who attended to me. I don’t want to go into how many hours one has to stay on hold when one calls MTN call center. Anyone who dares call MTN call center can bear me witness. When I called the Call Center of MTN on the 27/12/15, the lady who picked the call was simply not ready to address my concerns. After some heated arguments, she said “go back for your money.” When I asked “what if the guy refuses to give me the money?” Her response was very cheeky. She said “I don’t live in Hamile. I’m in Tema. Do you want me to come and collect your money for you?”

When I questioned her further, she then said I could provide the particulars of the agent for the necessary actions to be taken if the agent refused to give me my money. You see why I said the call center guys are just impolite? I thought the lady could use my phone number in tracking the agent who stole my money. But no! She was rather out to discourage me from pursuing my case against the agent. I remember that after I hanged up the call with the MTN lady at the call center, my dad said “I could see the person at the call center didn’t want to listen to your case.” I told my dad that I realized that too but that I was going to pursue this case to its logical conclusion.

Yes! I did. When I informed my dad about the refund of my GHC5.00 and plans to take a class action against YASCO Enterprise- the mobile money agent in Hamile, and MTN-Ghana, he advised me to hold my horses. My dad’s reason was that, at least, the mobile money agent would know that it is not all mice we use sticks to kill. But no. This guy didn’t reason like my dad.

He is still charging the GHC5.00 for registration of MTN Mobile which is free. I’m still making follow- ups on this case and would not like to share my “other experience” with the public till the case is brought to finality. While I commend MTN-Ghana Facebook team for their cooperation and attention, I still think that there is still more room for improvement.

For example, after providing the Facebook team with the details of the said agent stealing GHC5.00 from unsuspecting customers, I expected them to quickly get in touch with the said agent directly since I suppose MTN has a database of all their mobile money agents across the country. Interacting with the MTN-Ghana Facebook team, at a point, I had a feeling that the team was deliberately making the process of addressing my complaints cumbersome so that I could retreat.

I dare say this because of their actions and inactions. I am very much aware of the fact that I was not the only person who lodged complaints with MTN-Ghana within that time frame but I thought 3-5 days were just too many for my complaint to be addressed. What serious or critical investigations needed to be conducted on my complaint again after I provided MTN with the information they needed?

I remember this was the question I asked the lady from MTN who called me on 30/12/15. I further added that if MTNGhana was bereft of evidence in their investigations, and needed help, I was in a position to provide MTN with hard-core evidence by submitting to MTN the names and contact numbers of other MTN customers who had had their GHC5.00 stolen from them by same agent in Hamile. At this point, the lady told me my case was enough evidence for them. From her tone, I could see she was beginning to reason with me. And I think that was the last straw that broke the camel’s back hence my case was given the needed attention that very day.

Quite interestingly and surprisingly, the last observation I made in my interaction with MTNGhana was that they seemed to attach a little bit of credence to written complaints as compared to verbal complaints. My observation could be wrong. But you can combine both voice and written complaints to any service provider and judge for yourself which one is better. For MTN-Ghana, their Facebook team did somewhat well as far as written complaints are concerned.

In conclusion, I would love to urge all customers of the various service providers in Ghana especially Mobile Telecommunication Networks to be firm and resolute in getting redress from them (mobile network operators) when we (customers) are not satisfied with their (mobile network operators) actions and inactions. That, in my humble opinion, is the surest way to get our grievances resolved.

We should not look at how small our grievance(s) is/are. I think we should be interested in getting justice for ourselves and others who might be ignorant of their rights and privileges as customers of the various service providers. In doing so, we might be described by some of these “ignorant customers” who might have even suffered the same injustice as being “all knowing”. But that should not stop us.

We must forge ahead till justice is served us. MTN-Ghana must also improve on the caliber and quality of Customer Service Representatives. Some Customer Service Representatives of MTN simply stink. If you have ever called the call center of MTN-Ghana as a customer, you will fathom what I am talking about. Please watch out for my part 2 of this article.

Thanks for reading.
Kpirko Wenceslaw
Signed
E-mail:
[email protected]
Phone number: 0279657195