Consumer Protection Council Orders Dstv To Compensate Consumers

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has ordered MultiChoice Nigeria Limited in the provision of its Digital Satellite Broadcast Television (DStv) to compensate consumers within 90 days and introduce toll-free lines to them, following confirmation of its investigations on allegations of violations of consumer rights.

Consequently, the Council in Abuja yesterday directed DStv to release of free-to-air channels, even when subscription expires; compensate consumers across board for lost viewing time and reasonable equitable spread of popular sports channels, among others.

Director General of CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, expressed optimism that compliance with these reforms would enable Nigerian consumers enjoy value for money in their engagement with the company.  According to her,

“During the course of our investigations, the Council observed that the company’s billing system, whereby “billing is not contemporaneous with the provision of service” was not in the best interest of consumers and therefore ordered MultiChoice to install a billing system that ensures billing starts with the provision of service.”

See CPC’s orders below:

• DSTV will present written assurances in line with Section 10 of the Council’s enabling law that it will not engage in any conduct which is detrimental to the interest of consumers.
• DSTV shall for 18 months from the date of the orders, subject its processes to the Council’s inspection to ensure compliance with the directives contained in the orders.
• DSTV was s directed by CPC to within 180 days adopt a “technology that supports suspension of service when subscribers are otherwise unable to enjoy their service on account of being away for a limited period of time”, provided such a request for suspension of service is done for a period of between 7 to 14 days and not more than twice in a year with a 72-hour notice to MultiChoice.
• DSTV was ordered by the firm to within 90 days ensure “a reasonably equitable spread of popular sports and other channels hitherto concentrated in its premium bouquet over all available bouquets”.
•  CPC directed MultiChoice not only to maintain local toll-free telephone access lines for its call centres, but should also ensure the call centres operate for longer hours during public holidays and weekends.
• MultiChoice was also directed to formulate within 90 days a written compensation policy which should “outline amongst other things, the procedure for compensating subscribers for injury they suffer on account of MultiChoice conduct and take into consideration not just viewing time lost, but inconveniences suffered by subscribers”.
• The Council further directed MultiChoice to “develop a Customer Care Manual which shall contain mechanisms to address customer complaints in an accurate, friendly, timely, efficient, courteous and honest manner”.
• It was also directed to ensure that the list of all its accredited dealers and installers and their details be freely given to its customers at the point of subscription and also made available on its website and other information channels.
• In addition, the pay-media company is not only to ensure these accredited dealers and installers carry certified means of identification issued by it, subscribers must also be periodically educated on the means of identification, while it should also reasonably and adequately compensate subscribers where they experience loss of signal on account of faulty, poor or unprofessional installation by agents of MultiChoice.
• On the pay-television firm’s agreements with its subscribers, the Council disclosed that several provisions of the Service Level Agreement and the Terms and Conditions of Subscription signed on by subscribers were found to be grossly unfair, unjust and one-sided, directing that such provisions should be expunged, re-drafted and submitted to the Council.

If CPC can pull this off, then this will be the best thing that has ever happened to DSTV/Satellite consumers in this country.

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