CUSTOMER SERVICE IN A 21ST CENTURY GHANA

To say customer service is an alien concept to the average Ghanaian firm is quite an understatement. Most service providers in Ghana, including public service providers funded with the taxpayers’ money think they do us a favour by offering anything close to decent services. I have had my fair share of the peculiar customer service of the Ghanaian, as I usually say, it is the not-so-pleasantversion of the experience.

Aaron reported to the office late on Tuesday raging about what he terms ‘the extortionate’ attitude of real estate companies in Ghana. Aaron had purchased a plot of land from this company when he was studying for his postgraduate degree in Sweden. After chasing the company and its CEO for nine months upon his return he decided to sue to reclaim his $25000 investment. That was the beginning of the woes of my friend. It been twenty months now and we have no idea when the courts will finally rule on the case. Upon the advice of his pastor, Aaron has tried to use alternative resolution mechanisms to come to an agreement with the company on their plan of repayment since they have demonstrably exhibited their unpreparedness in getting a new land for him, after reselling the first one to another investor. Aaron had gone to the Tuesday meeting expectant that he was finally going to get closure since the legal tussle was taking a toll on him and his family. Can you believe the proposal the CEO came up with? They can only repay in fourteen months and with no interest. Yes, that was how a company registered in Ghana legally thought it was best to deal with a client. I’m even at a loss if this incident bothers on extortion or bad customer service. I can’t wrap my mind around it.

But Aaron’s case reminded me of my own troubles with one company that I purchased an item from. It was one hell of an experience. This company, on its website, advertised that every product purchased from them comes with a warranty. I like to buy stuff especially electronics from shops that can offer warranty on the product. So, I was obviously happy about this. I got to the shop after satisfying myself with the specs of what I wanted on their website. The shop attendant I must confess was very pleasant. He tested the machine for me to be certain I was satisfied with the quality of the sound before I paid. It was all smiles when I paid and was issued with my receipt and warranty. Great business. The home theatre too was great until that fateful Sunday evening. I had just returned from a weekend trip. The machine that was working perfectly before I traveled was suddenly not working again.

I took my machine to the shop on Monday morning to check what could possibly be wrong. I met the same shop attendant with the same smiling face. Great customer service you’d say. He told me the machine would have to be transported to the service centre in Accra and it would take two weeks to fix. He needed a copy of my warranty and my phone number. I provided him with the details he requested and took his card. Finally, there was a Ghanaian firm that really understood customer care services, so I thought.  

I called my always-smiling customer service guy after the two-weeks to check up on the progress of the diagnosis of whatever the fault was, that was the beginning of the games. For three days, all my calls and text messages to my guy went unanswered. I decided to go to the shop on the fourth day. Well, my ever-smiling guy wasn’t smiling this time. He said he can’t make my face out because he deals with a lot of clients on daily basis. I wasn’t bothered because I wasn’t there looking for friendship either. After a little back and forth, my guy called the customer service to enquire about the progress with regards to my machine. I had the shock of my life. I was told whoever brought the machine there had not taken it to the right place for it to be logged in and worked on and it was right after the call that that process has been initiated so I had to wait for another two weeks. My guy denied vehemently when I spoke to his boss that I had brought my machine to their Tema branch two weeks earlier. The bottom-line was if I was insisting, I wasn’t the one who brought the machine to the service centre in Kaneshie then they could not work on it. I’m not sure what I felt at that moment; scandalous, confounded, livid? I don’t know. Until that morning, I didn’t even know the service centre of the company was in Kaneshie but someway somehow, my ghost had found it way there to dump the machine at the office and left without talking to anyone. Don’t say ridiculous! That was what I was being told. As stupid as I was, I accepted that charge against my ghost and agreed for them to log in that I had brought the machine myself to the service centre. I got a call from a man claiming he was a technician at the service centre later that afternoon. He was simply telling me he wanted to help me. According to him, the part that was spoilt in my machine could be replaced and since LG has stopped producing my model, there was no way I could get a replacement. However, he could find the spoilt part in the market and repair the machine for me if I was willing to pay five hundred cedis. I asked his name and thanked him, promising to get back to him later. I then called the sales manager the next day and reported this technician. He was hauled to the office and right on the phone denied ever talking to me. Where I had gotten his name or number from was irrelevant to him. To him, I was just trying to frame him up for him to lose his job. I had honestly grown weary at this point.

Eventually, I got a lawyer friend to speak the sales manager after two months of back and forth with the company. I was assured I will get a new machine in two weeks.

I got to the shop on agreed date. The replacement was a newer version LG had recently rolled out, but it was of inferior quality to my old machine. I was tired so accepted the compromise. Grateful? Well, that wasn’t the end. I was required to pay an extra 200 cedis for the replacement. Scandalous, you may say. I asked for a receipt of payment, but I was told there was none. Apparently, I was not required to pay anything when I later called the so-called sales manager. I was to submit a complaint to the head office in Accra for sanctions to be taken against the staff at the Tema branch. After chasing this company for months for my replacement, nobody told me to let it pass. I have long since ceased to do business with that company.

One would have thought the race for bad customer service should be restricted to the private sector. Boy, you are wrong! Public organisations funded with taxpayers’ money are also in the run for the ‘dishonour’. The disdain with which certain public servants serve members of the public needs much to be desired. I am not sure if the actions of the folks at the controller and accountant general’s department is just a case of bad customer service or an illegality or a crime. I’m still not sure on that. But I have been wondering which staff of the department thought it was wise to divulge my phone number I have used in filling my IPPD forms when I was a public servant to a third party. I’m now subjected to hundreds of unsolicited messages from all manner of individuals and firms ‘advertising’ how great their financial products are.

Amid all the gloom, there is a silver lining after all. Ghana Post surprised me the other day when a friend from Kumasi needed to send me a book. I suggested he use the STC delivery service, but he insisted on Ghana Post EMS. All he needed was my digital address and telephone number. In two days, I received a call from a pleasant-sounding gentleman telling me the delivery guy will be in my house in ten minutes. In exactly eight minutes I had another call. You won’t believe it but here was my delivery guy with my parcel. Things can work well in Ghana after all.

Who asked me to talk about the customer service of my mechanic and plumber? Please I’ll let that pass. Theirs is on a whole different tangent.