SOME service providers annually announce their dividends in full flair and with pride and dignity but are we (as their loyal customers contributing towards these achievements) really getting the short end of the deal at the end of the day?
I believe that you will fully agree with me as to what we as customers of communication, banking, health, communications, etc. service providers have to endure almost on a daily base.
As if it is not enough that we must cough up for all these annual increments on subscription, product and service fees as well as banking interest, you must now also budget for additional airtime monthly just to ensure that all your queries will be attended to.
What I am trying to imply is that whenever you call one of these service providers for one or another complaint or query you would most of the time wish in your heart you were like Job from the Bible. After listening to the pre-set answering machine on what numbers to have available, what numerical button to press for what service, etc., it is now time to “please hold on for the next available consultant/operator”, a hold that can easily take up to ten minutes. As a means of soothing your impatience/anger, soft musical tunes will now be played in your ear. At this stage you have one of two choices. Either you hang up and restart the whole process later on or you hold on, hoping to be assisted within the next few minutes. Whatever choice you made, be rest assured that your mobile phone/landline credit would have decreased significantly by the time you are done, assisted or not.
Another area of concern is that of being in arrears/overdraft or returning faulty equipment/goods as opposed to getting refunded or your stuff repaired or replaced.
When you as customer get in arrears or overdraft, then apart from constant reminders of drastic punitive measures like cutting off/suspending services, charging interest or penalty fees or repossessing equipment/goods etc. will be applied. On the other side if it comes to you as customer who have been overcharged for services provided or returning faulty equipment/goods, then the rectification of this process can take from days to months at a time. Again this will cost you money for all the follow-up calls made on promises by these service providers to revert back to you.
Although we as customers are also at times to blame for not paying on time for services provided or equipment/goods delivered, the golden rule should at all times apply not to bite the hand that feeds you.
Kudos to our legislators for enforcing the abolishment of service fees when depositing funds. We as citizens should now just keep our fingers crossed that more such interventions will follow.
Until a next time.