Thought I should share this: late 2011 I was telling my brother in South Africa (fellow African country that just got free from apartheid just about 20years ago) that back in Nigeria our ATM still debits our account without the machine dispensing cash. He looked at me like I was speaking Greek or Latin. He couldn't understand because in SA where he lives NOTHING like that has ever happened (at least to his knowledge)
Back home in naija it is a daily occurrence thing, some say it is normal and a lot of us accept such crap (permit me to use bullshit). I used a Skye Bank ATM with my Access Bank card and I noticed that I got a message displayed on the machine saying "user or switch not available". I tried checking my balance I got the same message. I got driving towards the nearest Access bank since it was still within banking hours so I can probably get money across the counter. Few minutes before I got to the bank I got an SMS on my cell phone that I have a debit of 20,000 naira from the "unsuccessful" transaction. I got to the bank my money was really deducted and I complained and the customer service officer said it will reverse within 24hours that it was due to network, this same network that I couldn't check my account balance but can debit my account, I also thought why hasn't this "bad" network ever given me a credit when there is no credit transaction? Well back to my story, I told the CSO that I am not buying the idea of the 24hours crap, I wanted my money and I insisted. I started causing a scene which some customers laughed at me and others supported me.
At this time more staff of the bank came to meet me and told me "there is nothing they can do" it will have to take a minimum of 24hrs to resolve. I called Access Bank's Head Office on phone I was told the same thin. To my point, what kind of system do we have that the bank always cheat customers? This system is only thriving because you and I don't speak out or complain. If this does not happen in a place like South Africa why does it happen here? Simple, because we have allowed it as a people.
Access Bank to me is a fraudulent bank, in 2011 when they fraudulently acquired Intercontinental Bank through the likes of Sanusi, Access bank was on an operating software called FLEXCUBE version 6.1 with less than 100 branches, intercontinental bank on the other hand had an operating software FLEXCUBE version 6.6 with over 300 branches. Now during the acquisition process it was only normal for Access bank to at least upgrade to version 6.6 to ease banking operations, but the executive board of Access Bank didn't approve the upgrade because it would have cost them money and rather they downgraded Intercontinental's 6.6 version to 6.1 of Access bank. This didn't cost much or probably nothing.
Now with about 400 branches after the acquisition and a lower version of FLEXCUBE for operations definitely service failure was/is inevitable.
This is one of the reasons why you get things like ATM debiting our accounts without the customer receiving cash and the sell to us that "network" is bad. All these service providers know the solution but are not bothered because you and I don't talk and accept crap. Some staff too are oblivious of the problem and tell the customers what the owners of the business have programmed into their head. We need to talk and demand for good services it is our RIGHT.

i have just one question for u, was the transaction of 20k later reversed? I have encountered similar problems in the past and it was rectified. There is no basis to compare Nigeria with South Africa because South Africa is ahead of Nigeria technologically.

uboma: i have just one question for u, was the transaction of 20k later reversed? I have encountered similar problems in the past and it was rectified. There is no basis to compare Nigeria with South Africa because South Africa is ahead of Nigeria technologically.

sir, it hasn't been reversed cos it's still less than 24hours. If we know that we can't handle these technology why deploy them? Why cause customers heart aches? Now a transaction of 2mins is taking over a day have lost the opportunity I wanted to take wasted petrol, time and energy just over 20k, now who pays for these? In Nigeria it is always the customer, because we never talk believe me if u and I including everybody that this happen to believe that system will change but believe me we accept our fate to easily

Let me give an illustration Dstv has been programmed that if u pay on the first of November it goes off on the first of December i.e 30days so in a particular February I paid on the 2nd and it went off on the 2nd of march (february was 28 days that year)I asked them why? Prior to this I have found out if you pay 10k for a month your payment is broken down to 333 naira a day. Back to my story, they told me it is automatic I refused to buy the idea and till today I always get my 30days complete because I spoke out

I am in no way encouraging their service failure (because i was and still is a victim) but what cant be changed atleast for now must be endured. Why not wait till the stipulated 24hrs elapses. The problem lies sorely with our govt. They have failed to put measures in place to ensure effective delivery from our service providers. Just last year, the govt of Ghana had to ban MTN from further selling their sim cards due to poor service delivery. Why expand your customer base when you can not even service the current customer base? With all the poor services we keep getting from the communication companies here in Nigeria, what has our govt done? People have complained and still complaining but has any thing changed for the better? The list goes on and on here in Nigeria.

uboma: I am in no way encouraging their service failure (because i was and still is a victim) but what cant be changed atleast for now must be endured. Why not wait till the stipulated 24hrs elapses. The problem lies sorely with our govt. They have failed to put measures in place to ensure effective delivery from our service providers. Just last year, the govt of Ghana had to ban MTN from further selling their sim cards due to poor service delivery. Why expand your customer base when you can not even service the current customer base? With all the poor services we keep getting from the communication companies here in Nigeria, what has our govt done? People have complained and still complaining but has any thing changed for the better? The list goes on and on here in Nigeria.

it is because you and I have believed that the system can't change. If we all do something now it shall ant it will change

madejibo: it is because you and I have believed that the system can't change. If we all do something now it shall ant it will change

Go ahead and lead the change then.