Power users decry delays with DisCos’ call centres

As the Customers Care Week begins today, electricity users have decried the lengthy time they spend on telephones, losing much phone credits before they are served by Customer Care agents of the Distribution Companies (DisCos).

Ayinde Uba, a customer of Ikeja Electric, in Lagos said he called and was placed on a waiting time list at number 8, with long delay.

Lekan Olusola, another customer said it took him 30 minutes of airtime before he was able to be attended to by a customer care agent of Ikeja DisCo.

Mr Bello Orokpo, an electricity user in Abuja said he was on hold for over 10 minutes recently before he was attended to. “It was not a good experience to have your credit wasted before you can be attended to by agents of AEDC.”

The Executive Director of Power Up, Adetayo Adegbemle, a pro-consumer group, said: “This by itself is against good customer care. This is being experienced across the DisCos. It is therefore our recommendation that all Customer Care lines should be toll free. It is part of the services being paid for.”

Ikeja Electric on Twitter apologized for the delay and directed customers to its Twitter platform, @IESERVE to lay the complaints and for swift response.

An official of AEDC, told our reporter that the DisCo had provided several platforms to ensure swift service to customers. “If you try the WhatsApp platform you will experience the speed. I believe our agents are attending to a lot of customers at once, but we are improving on our services daily,” the official noted.

Also, the spokesman of AEDC, Oeybode Fadipe in a statement, said the firm will provide gifts for orphans and the needy for the Customer Care Week. He said AEDC has equipped its customer service centre with state-of-the-art facilities which enable customers to register their complaints anywhere they are at any point in time.

“The customer centric disposition of AEDC has been widely acknowledged by stakeholders…,” he noted.

At a recent virtual town hall meeting weeks ago, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had promised consumers that the DisCos will address this complaint. However, the trend of lengthy call waiting was yet to cease.