Michael AndeyinWhat was supposed to be a seamless data subscription on Monday afternoon has turned into a frustration-laden experience for Tomiwa Aderemi, an Oyo State-based researcher and MTN customer.
Aderemi told EQ that he usually got his data almost immediately after subscribing to an MTN data bundle. However, this was not the case on Monday when he paid N16,000 for a data plan of 150 gigabytes on his MTN app at 12:21 pm.
One of the reasons he found the delay particularly annoying was the fact that the data was meant for the live streaming of a three-day conference, an event he had been assigned to manage its technical aspect.
“The conference started on Monday, and I needed to have data on my router so we could stream the event for our online audience,” Aderemi told EQ.
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When he did not get the data on Monday, he had to use his mobile phone data for the live streaming. About an hour later, he reached out to MTN via its WhatsApp channel to report the delay.
Bose, an MTN customer support agent, confirmed to Aderemi on Monday that the data had not yet been reflected on his line. She then told him to: Please exercise patience as there is a process that reverses the fund to your bank account or credits the line with the value of the airtime/data within 24 hours in the event of a pending transaction.
Aderemi told EQ that he had to quickly get a smaller data plan that gave him 10 gigabytes on Tuesday morning while he was waiting for MTN to either credit his router or refund him.
More than 24 hours later, he neither received the data nor a refund.
The N16,000 data. Source: Tomiwa Aderemi
Screenshots of chat with MTN on Monday. Photo source: Tomiwa Aderemi
He reached out to MTN again on Tuesday afternoon, and a customer agent told him that the issue would be forwarded to the support team forinvestigation and resolution.
“Please, note that once the issue is resolved, you will receive a message from our support team,” the agent added.
A frustrated Aderemi told EQ: “How long am I supposed to wait? I’m so tired of them.”
When EQ checked the two official pages of MTN Nigeria on X, many comments showed that Aderemi was not the only customer dealing with this data subscription problem.
Between Monday and Tuesday afternoon, at least 26 X users have tagged MTN in reports related to data subscription delays.
Some of the customers, whose complaints EQ screenshot and uploaded on this folder, have not received their data or refund as far back as November 15, 19 and 21. Some got debited on Friday and Sunday, with nothing to show for it.
EQ also noticed that the amounts varied from N50,000 to N7,000, N5,500, N3,000, N2,000 and N500.
Some of the screenshots. Credit: Abimbola Abatta//EQ. Source: X
Some of the screenshots. Credit: Abimbola Abatta//EQ. Source: X
@InvestorBabyboy, one of the affected customers, wrote, “MTN, it seems you people are just playing games with me. What is all this nonsense? Since the 21st, I purchased data, and you’ve been asking me to be patient. Patient till when exactly? I need my data or my refund immediately. This is madness.
“And I can’t wait any longer. I demand my refund or the data today. 7,000 naira is not something you can just hold onto indefinitely. I need my refund now; this is unacceptable you scammers! And please don’t ever tell me to be patient again in your life just refund me ASAP.”
While checking the complaints on X, EQ found a series of messages from Patience Bassey, a web developer, whose N16,000 had been hanging between a payment for a service and a refund since September 12.
Bassey told EQ that she used the MTN app to buy N16,000 airtime that day hoping to use it to get data for her online course.
“I bought that airtime to convert to data for my online course, but these guys frustrated me badly. It wasn’t a good experience,” she said.
The web developer noted that she switched to another network and also deleted the MTN app because of the incident.
“MTN said they don’t have the money. Meanwhile, I complained to my bank and the transaction was logged against the acquiring bank for MTN, but they declined the claim,” Bassey explained.
“They said that the transaction was successful and funds were settled to MTN. My bank at First Bank said they couldn’t do anything [because] I used the MTN app to buy the airtime. I have sent a series of emails since September.”
One of the messages First Bank sent to Bassey.
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EQ reached out to MTN via email, WhatsApp and X on Tuesday for comments on what the mobile telecommunications provider was doing to address not just Aderemi and Bassey’s issues but also the growing complaints from other customers.
An automated response sent via email stated that the “query is being attended to and feedback will be provided within 24 hours”.
On WhatsApp, the network provider wrote: Checks on Bassey’s number show that the transaction was not successful from our end and [the] customer has been advised to visit the bank for a chargeback please. On the transaction for Aderemi, Please note that the issue has been forwarded to our support team for resolution. Kindly be patient as feedback/resolution will be shared with(sic) once received from our support team.
In response to EQ’s inquiry on X, the MTN customer care officer who identified herself as Wuraola initially asked EQ to have the customers reach out directly because details of the transaction would be requested to aid investigation and assistance.
When EQ supplied the details provided by Bassey and Aderemi, she explained that even though a customer’s payment might have been successful “by the money leaving their account”, the customer’s bank would be responsible for processing a chargeback for a failed transaction or activation.
This, according to Wuraola, was because MTN had no access to bank transactions. She hinted that customers like Bassey would have to contact their bank.
On Aderemi’s issue, she said, “Please, have them reach out to us privately for feedback.”
The post MTN Data Subscription Delay Leaves Customers Frustrated, Stranded appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.
