Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
In the first quarter of 2021, 99.2 per cent of service-related complaints (3,019 versus 2,854 Q1 2020) received from telecom consumers across the major network operators were resolved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
A breakdown of the complaints within the period under review showed that 2,759 (91.4 per cent) came through the NCC Contact Centre; 188 (6.2 per cent) were received via the NCC Consumer Portal; 50 (1.7 per cent) complaints came to the commission through its various social media platforms, while 22 (0.7 per cent) were written complaints.
With respect to breakdown by service providers’ customers, 1,261 (51.8 per cent) of the total complaints were lodged by MTN customers, 973 representing 32.2 per cent relate to Airtel subscribers, 549 (18.2 per cent) were accounted for by Globacom subscribers; 179 (5.9 per cent) by 9mobile customers, while the remaining 52 complaints came from customers of other licensees.
On a month-on-month basis, 971 complaints were received in January, 1,039 in February and 1,009 in March.
The report also indicated that issues related to billings, quality of service/experience for voice, as well as the quality of service/experience for data were the three topmost complaint types from telecom consumers in the period under review.
The NCC, in its Q1 2021 Report on Complaint Management issued by its Consumer Affairs Bureau, disclosed that of the 3,019 consumer complaints, 2,995 consumer complaints were successfully resolved, while only 24, representing 0.8 per cent, which were escalated to service providers, are pending resolution from the respective service providers in line with the revised Consumer Complaint/Service Level Agreement (CC/SLA) of 2019.
In his reaction, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Mr Umar Garba Danbatta, said the agency, as a consumer-centric telecoms regulator, will continue to explore new initiatives to strengthen the existing consumer complaints management process while ensuring prompt and satisfactory resolution of all complaints.
He urged the consumers to continue to take advantage of the various channels made available by the commission, including the 622 toll-free consumer complaints line, its consumer web portal on its website and other social media channels to promptly lodge their complaints in the event of service dissatisfaction.
“NCC’s actions in this regard are in line with its mandate to protect and defend the rights and interests of the consumer, and to give concrete expression to its faith in the consumer as the lifeblood of the telecoms sector,” Mr Danbatta said.
Expressing satisfaction with the report, he emphasised that the agency will remain committed, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, to continually improve quality of service both for voice and data services, assuring consumers of NCC’s readiness to always defend their rights and interests.
