Charges on calls and data of MTN et al: who cares about the ordinary Ghanaian consumer?

Call credit and data bundle especially is without a tinge of a doubt, very expensive in Ghana and one find it difficult searching for the people or institutions whose duty it is to protect consumers from the clear exploitation of these profit-oriented TELCOs.

We are saddled with all kinds of charges with no one or institution to speak on our behalf and the straw that breaks the camel's back is when MTN et al make changes in their call and data plan without any modicum of courtesy for prior notification to their subscribers.

References are made to some specific services MTN offers to its customers and the percentage of upward adjustment of the cost of such services just around December, 2021 to show how the ordinary consumer is at the mercy of these ever-profit making TELCOs and get answers as to who or what institution protects us from such arbitrary charges.

The TELCOs like any other businesses have the right to increase their charges with the view to making reasonable profit but if the percentage of the increment of such charges are of the extreme, who speaks for the ordinary man who is affected.

some services like MTN Mashup and many more have been more than quadrupled at the tail end of December, 2021 without even bringing to the attention of the subscribers only for them to detect after seeing the speed with which data bundles got exhausted was not normal.

For example as a customer, i had to call to find out that changes had been made after realising the rapid of depletion of my voice call on Mashup but they can send sms to notify customers about some promo that fetches them more money and even to the extent of notifying to buy data and call credit when a customer does not have enough on his or her phone as if the person does not know him or herself.

Below if the comparison of the previous and the current offer for a GH 10.00 voice calls on Mashup.

Previous offer options

1. 303.95 MB 303.95 minutes
2. 364.74 MB 243. 15 minutes
3. 425.53 MB 182.37 minutes
4. 607.90

Current offer options

1. 303.95 MB 303.95 minutes
2. 364.74 MB 243. 15 minutes
3. 425.53 MB 182.37 minutes
4. 607.90

Clearly, from the above even though one could contend the offer for data bundle remains the same, it is essentially social media bundle. Again, the package for voice calls offers which is the bone of contention has been reduced by more that 50%. in effect what this means is that your GH 10.00 is now worth less than GH 5.00.

Also, Kookrokoo which used to give over 400 MB data bundle and 30 minutes voice calls is now only 400 MB with no voice call package. What makes these increments worrying, apart from the proportion of the changes, is their craft to conceal it from customers.

On back of the issues raised above and many more serious others, one really wants to know the role the Ministry of Communication, National Communication Authority and Consumer Protection Agency ought to play to regulate the TELCOs' quest for profit making which impact directly on consumers disposable income.