Nigerian Communications Commission has warned of imminent sanctions on Value-Added Services (VAS) organizations for ‘forceful deductions’ of customers’ airtime without subscriptions for such services following a two year investigation into such practices.
“Based on the outcome of the investigative audit, the Commission will shortly be directing the indicted organizations to make refunds to affected consumers as appropriate.
The Commission is also considering, and will impose appropriate sanctions as necessary.
This outcome justifies the Commission’s commitment to evidence-based interventions,” the Commission said in a statement.NCC has persistently maintained that illegal airtme deductions are unacceptable as it is in direct breach of the Nigerian Communications Act just as ut added that the actions also undermine the very foundations of customer/service provider relationship that is built on transparency and trust.
The Commission “noted with great displeasure the unacceptably high level of consumer complaints in respect of forceful subscriptions to Value-Added Services (VAS), as well as airtime deductions for these subscriptions.
“The Commission mandated several initiatives to tackle the menace. These include the institution of a comprehensive investigation and resolution process, the Do-not-Disturb (DND) facility, and the imposition of sanctions for breach.
“We wish to use this opportunity to inform the general public that the Commission may suspend or out rightly decommission some VAS platforms and services in the overall interests of consumers. We assure consumers that these measures will be implemented with minimal inconvenience to them, and trust that we can count on the understanding of consumers who may be affected by these measures.
“The Commission assures all stakeholders that we will continue to use all available resources to protect the rights of consumers of telecoms services and to ensure that they get appropriate value for their interactions with service and platform providers.”
