NCC - SAVE OUR SOULS FROM GLO WORLD

By Yinkah Fadayomi

Computer Science Department,
Adekunle Ajasin University,
Akungba,
Ondo State.

To: The Hon. Minister of Information and Communication,
Federal Ministry of Information and Communication (FMIC),
Abuja.

Through:
The Managing Director,
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),
Abuja.

Dear Sir,
I am Fadayomi Yinka of the above named address and a customer/subscriber to GLO INTERNET (GPRS) Service. This is my Contract No: 08076300252 given to me by Globacom Limited.

I hereby write to report the greedy, nonchalant and indifferent attitude of GLO WORLD Communication (Internet Service Provider), Globacom Limited, Mike Adenuga Towers, Victoria Island, Lagos on their Clients nationwide.

I write for under listed reasons:
1. GLO Internet Services has two platforms: 2Gigabytes (2G) for N7, 000 and 3Gigabytes (3G) for N10, 000. I am on a platform of 2G (equivalent to 2,097,152 kilobytes) for N7, 000 monthly. The acquisition cost for 2G GLO Direct Data Pack with Data card is N7, 500 in the Newspaper but we bought it for N17, 000 without GLO cards (what a deception!). They also collected N10, 000 for security deposit from us at GLO World Office, Ibadan. Altogether, We paid N27, 000 to be on GLO Internet Network besides monthly rental of N7, 000. Still, they don't offer us value for our money.
ZAIN Internet Data Card goes for N8, 200 while MTN is N12, 000. Other providers charge less with good services.

2 Our agreement is: The 2G must be used\finished because the unused/remaining Gigabytes/Megabytes cannot be rolled over to the next month; they are wasted because GLO believes that they have offered a platform for us to use it.
The question now is, in a situation where GLO service is not available for us to use our 2G/3G as a result of network problem or Internet downlink, what happens? What is the fate of all the clients? How will they compensate us? Are we still going to pay when there is no network from their own end? I went to GLO offices in Lagos and Ibadan and I also called their Customer Care, they all said, it is only their management that can answer the above questions. Till date, nothing has been said or done in respect of this.
They have failed us in numerous ways and also failed in acting as an ISP. Ever since we have been on their network: it has been one problem or the other. For months now that we have been on their network we have not for once finished our 2G as a result of GLO epileptic, erratic, and poor services and you don't carry the remaining units over to the next month. There has never been a month without downlink problem. Why offering services that they cannot maintain?
Their network has been fluctuating and unreliable. It wastes our data Kilobytes due to ON and OFF.
The painful thing is that, GLO doesn't contact us or send us notification to let us know when their Internet GPRS link is down. All the clients nationwide are left in the balance hanging. We are left alone suffering in silence. GLO link comes back online when they feel like without apology. They take us for granted. The treatment they mete on us is appalling.
It is when we call that they will confirm that their 2G and 3G link is down. At times, they will ask us to bring our laptops and data card to the nearest GLO office when the problem is from their own end in spite of the risk involved. Hours later the link would start browsing. Sir, can you imagine?

Their services are below expectation. Yet, they are asking for another opportunity time without number and till date, no improvement. They asked us to highlight all the problems we are facing with their network and they promised to improve and give us better connectivity in the shortest possible time but instead their network grow from bad to worse. They don't work on their facilities and increase the strength of their network to accommodate customers. Downlink and slow network is what characterize their network. This network problem is frequent. We are all sick and tired of their anomalies and incongruity.

3. They shut us down when we didn't owe in May 23rd, 2009. Our monthly bill and their staff proved otherwise. Nothing has been done to refund our money. We want our money back.

4. In August 2009, I was in 3 States in 5days, Ondo, Oyo and Lagos, there was no network from Monday 10th through Friday 14th August. GLO Customer Care (the following staff - Ozemoya, Ify, John, Bimbo, Seun, Stella, Hafsat confirmed it). I went to GLO Office at Opebi, Lagos and they confirmed that the GPRS (Internet) link was down. They were down 3times in August alone (21st and 22nd August inclusive) apart from many days in previous months. They must refund our money.
In August 2009, out of 2G (2,097,152kilobytes), I used 337,532 kilobytes (0.32G), less than 0.4G. I was left with 1.68G unused due to GLO epileptic services.

5. The breaking down of our data usage from March 2009 till August 2009 is stated below:
PERIOD FREE UNIT Used Unused
March 2009 2,097,152kilobytes(2G) 605,901kilobytes (0.58G) 1.42G
April 2009 2,097,152kilobytes 517,161kilobytes (0.49G) 1.51G
May 2009 2,097,152kilobytes 713,393kilobytes (0.68G) 1.32G
June 2009 2,097,152kilobytes 638,588kilobytes (0.61G) 1.39G
July 2009 2,097,152kilobytes 705,752kilobytes (0.67G) 1.33G
August 2009 2,097,152kilobytes 337,532 kilobytes(0.32G) 1.68G


Why offering services that they cannot maintain? What happens to all the unused Gigabytes as a result of their downlink? We kept on paying for the service we never enjoyed. We paid for what we did not use. We paid for their negligence and sloppiness. They are not consistent.
This is nothing but complete extortion and exploitation of highest order. If they are not ready they should quit rather than exploiting Nigerians collecting tens of millions of Naira. All these amount to deliberate and gross defrauding. It is unfair and demoralizing. They are making unnecessary money at our own expense.

6. We have written to them and nothing was done except failed promises. Their Management never did anything. They are full of empty promises that they never fulfilled. They use delay tactics to avoid compensation. They are not customer friendly. So, we have no choice but to report to NCC.

7. The Management and Staff of GLO said, we signed these in Subscriber Agreement Form (SAF) to take whatever they dish out. We should take downlink as part of our agreement. Meanwhile, SAF says, “We won't be billed for what we didn't use”. We paid and signed for quality services. We did not sign and pay for epileptic, erratic, howler and poor Internet access but quality one.
During their adverts, they promised to provide good services for us and as long as they do that, we won't complain. They are using their "Subscriber Agreement Form (SAF)" to deceive and exploit Nigerains.

Another excuse GLO gave was vandalization that took place throughout the country. Vandalization does not take place here. This is University environment. For the fact that, there is vandalizatioon in Lagos State, does it mean that people in Abuja should pay for that? Should Benin users pay for the vandalization that took place in Kaduna? NO.

8. Whenever there is network problem with ZAIN, MTN, ONET etc. They extend their clients expiry date and make up for them and their data remains intact unlike GLO. Each time we complain the response is: “We Are Sorry” .We told them, “They are slapping us and they say, we are sorry”.
They collect our money every month without good services, all they could say is: “We are sorry”. It is always we are sorry from them. Does it solve the problem? It never solved our problem. Does it get back our money or network? All we wanted was value for our money. If the remaining or unused data are being carried to the following month we would know that we still have our data (MB) intact but in a situation where they are no more after the end of month and no service. What happens?

9. To suspend our Internet browsing, we must travel to their office to pay N1, 000 in spite of the distance. They don't acknowledge email for suspension unlike other ISPs.
The last time I browsed on GLO GPRS Internet network was 27th August, 2009 at 2:02 p.m.
On the 31st of August, 2009, I traveled all the way from Akoko to GLO World Office at Opebi, Lagos State to suspend/stop my account due all the aforementioned problems. They collected N1, 000 to do that.
To my amazement, I was shocked when GLO told me that, I was owing for the month of September, 2009 that I did not browse at all (after I have deactivated my account).
This mail came from GLO WORLD yesterday, Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 11:30 PM:
“We write to inform you that so far for the month of September, '09 you have used 104,857.6 kilobytes from your eligible free usage of 2,097,152 kilobytes, therefore you have a balance of 1,992,294.4 kilobytes”.
Babajide Faleye
Corporate Call Centre
SR No:1-382304007.

Sir, how do I explain this or what should I do? This is enough to cause heart attack. Please, save our souls. This is how we have been paying over the months for what we never used. I can forward this particular mail on request.

10. The enclosed and attached mails will attest to all these facts for authentication purpose. These are evidences to show that many GLO clients are lamenting nationwide. This is exploitation of common man. All the clients have nowhere to turn. It is so painful that nobody came to their aid.

The Role of NCC is much more than licensing an ISP but also to monitor their activities in our beloved country to see if they are up to expectation. GLO fails in all these. We are the acid test of their Internet business. We now want to use NCC as a Governmental force to enforce them to improve on the quality of services or stop them from giving out Internet services. Also, they should act on our demands and requests. Please, stop GLO from exploiting Nigerians. Enough is enough.
We request for them to refund our money, compensate us months' back. Even with that, how can they quantify our business and work they have paralyzed for months or the stress/inconvenience they put us through due to their negligence? They rendered us inactive.

Sir, kindly, avenge us. You are there for the defense of the common man. All we want is justice.

Thank you and God bless.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

For further enquiries, you can reply through this medium or my mobile number – 08057926535.

Yours in the struggle for the common man,
Engr. Yinka Fadayomi.

CC:
Presidency
Office of the Senate President
Office of the Speaker (House of Representative)
Federal Ministry of Information and Communication (FMIC)
Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC)
Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)
Press Media
General Public