Communication Networks And The Plight Of A Nigerian By Aremu Toyib

This is but another cry of a Nigerian. I am on this side complaining today because there is no different story to tell. I wish I have been impressed by the services provided by these communication networks so that I can send some gratitude. But today is not a day to send gratitude; this is a day of bare criticism. As much as I understand that in every business, there is a need to make profit, at the same time every marketer should understand this simple phrase: consumer satisfaction.

I am making my thoughts known today because of what I experienced on my line some days ago. I received a message from a strange number (4100) on my MTN Simcard like this:

“Yello! Your callertunez will expire on 2015-02-21. To renew the service at N50 monthly, take no action. For information on how to stop the service,text help to 4100…”

Immediately I received this message, I was perplexed. I was wondering when I subscribed to such service. That was not the only question that rummaged my mind for answer. I thought: I did not register for this service and now it is going to expire soon. I am not interested in it let alone renewing. I have the literal capacity to stop the service but what about the many unlettered users of MTN who is faced with same problem? What about those who cannot read the message not to talk of following the instruction to deactivate it? Was there even a ‘deactivate’ instruction?

This is how people are subjected to pay for services they are not interested in. The worse part of this is that the service is made in a way that renewal is only by ‘not sending any directive.’ What this means is that automatically, a user who at that moment does not send ‘stop’ to 4100 will be charged afterwards. Is this fair to anyone at all?

The caller tune issue apart for now. Let us talk of the load of messages sent to customers daily. Every Nigerian with a phone should be able bear witness to this. Today, the number of time we receive unwanted messages on our lines is really alarming. One is sent about ten of this on average every day. The nauseating part is that when you try to delete them, another is on its way to the inbox again. Why? Has the network providers not considered that excessive messaging of customers about a service does not equate to customers’ positive response? Are they not aware that this is no more advertisement but spamming and disturbing the peace of users? The same is the case when in the morning one tries to check up (useful) updates on his Twitter or Facebook wall. The whole space is filled with useless, unsolicited messages. It is like everyone does not care again how they make their money; whether it makes others feel sad, inconvenient and cheated. It is high time the network providers understood that this is not a good marketing strategy.

People have their reasons for having a phone number; for some people, it is because of their business. They will expect some important messages or alerts some time. It will therefore be disturbing if all they get are unwanted messages sent by network providers. This is not a good way to thank a customer for actively recharging his cell and allow you make money. Do not make your customers regret choosing your service. The truth is, portability has become an affordable choice to make.

MTN, Globacom, Etisalat and others may argue that numbers like 33128, 30020, 5031, 5021 do not represent them. Well, whether or not they represent you, the messages they send are received on your customers’ lines. This should bother you if it bothers your customers.

I, as a customer, am interested in a service that will not give me nightmares. I look forward to a time when I will get mostly the messages that interest me and not some that I will delete immediately or have to leave in my box unread. It is really painful.

Aremu Toyib is a Freelance Writer, Blogger (aremutoyib.com) and Campus Journalist based in Ibadan. Contact him @omotoshoatob on Twitter or shoot him a mail aremutoyib@gmail.com