Nigerian subscribers to pay TV operator DStv have expressed their dissatisfaction with the services offered by parent company MultiChoice and are calling for a change in the law.
They are asking the federal government to force the Naspers-owned South African company to introduce a pay-as-you-view billing system.
This, they say, would ensure they get better value for their subscriptions, as they currently pay for services they do not receive.
Nigerian businessman Uzochukwu Nwafor told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): “They need to put a regulation in place to help subscribers enjoy the money they paid to view the programmes.
“With that [pay-as-you-view] billing, we can save some money. I see subscribing to DStv programmes as a waste of money; it does not happen abroad or even in South Africa.”
Civil servant Silvanus Okonkwo also told NAN: “Many companies come to Nigeria and rip us off because our policies are not being implemented. Again, DStv does not have serious competitors and that is why the company is behaving as it pleases.
“The pay-as-you-go billing that telecommunications operators offer is supposed to be applicable to DStv,” he continued, adding that the National Assembly should concentrate on the number of subscribers available so that bouquet prices can be reduced.
Another DStv subscriber, Ishmael Lawal, said the decoder was not working properly as he usually receives poor signals. He said: “The company cuts off subscriptions two days before expiration without warning. Again, they keep repeating programmes when one had paid to get new and trending programmes.”
A source at the Consumer Protection Council said it had taken MultiChoice to court over the issue.
tagged in: Consumer Protection Council, DSTV, ews Agency of Nigeria, Ishmael Lawal, MultiChoice, NAN, Naspers, Silvanus Okonkwo, South Africa