Investigation into the operations of the Digital
Satellite Television (DStv) based on complaints
of alleged consumer rights violations has been
commenced by the Consumer Protection
Council (CPC).

The Council, in a notice of commencement of
investigation signed weekend by the Council’s
director- general, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, and served
on Multichoice Nigeria Limited, a pay-media
company which offers the DStv service,
disclosed that it has been inundated with a
barrage of consumer complaints, alleging
wide-range abuse of subscribers’ rights.

The regulatory agency regretted that despite
its earlier interventions in form of meetings
with the satellite company, telephone and
written correspondences with a view to
ensuring that the company addressed the
issues and developed quality standards for the
safeguard of the interest of consumers,
complaints have been pouring in unabated
against the company.

According to the notice of investigation, CPC
stated that “these complaints in effect allege
that the DStv service does not conform with
international best practice and is specifically
designed to exploit Nigerian consumers who
have suffered loss by not being able to fully
enjoy or receive the benefit or actualise the
full purpose for which they purchased or
subscribed to the service.”

It pointed out that the consumer complaints
against DStv include “poor quality of service
such as incessant disruption of service without
compensation while subscription is current,
wrongful abrupt disconnection of service
during subsisting subscriptions, monthly
subscriptions lasting less than 30 days, and
poor redress mechanism and customer
services.”

Others, it said, include “advertisements on
customer care lines at the expense of
consumers, poor implementation of decoder
swap policy, and effecting price increase for
subscriptions despite payment before due date
of increase.”

The Council disclosed that its investigation
would involve receiving relevant evidence and
documents from complainants, Multichoice,
satellite broadcast experts and any pertinent
witnesses, including relevant sector regulators.

The company is expected to prepare a written
response or position to the issues or
allegations contained in its notice of
investigation as well as to provide some other
relevant documents and information needed to
absolve it of the allegations.

The Council’s action is in line with the focus
and commitment of its current administration
to engage in sectoral interventions to address
the myriad of problems facing Nigerian
consumers with a view to getting a saner
market-place in the country.

Source: Leadership: www.abujafacts.ng/cpc-commences-investigation-on-alleged-customer-rights-abuse-by-multichoice-dstv/

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Long over-due.

Hope govt will not collect bribe as usual and close case again.

I dont really trust any investigations in Nigeria.

read my sig