The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has identified the Voice Mail Service as one of the means by which telecommunication companies have been shortchanging consumers.
The telecom regulator therefore warned against compelling consumers to subscribe to Voice Mail Services.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, in a video clip posted on social media as part of its consumer awareness campaigns,said, “It is important in this context to mention the Voice Mail Services which of recent, we detected as one of the avenues some of the mobile network operators are shortchanging consumers.
“The Voice Mail Service is also a service that consumers can subscribe to and therefore, they should not be forced to subscribe to the service”
He also advised subscribers not to allow themselves to be compelled into buying services they actually do not want.
He said “Don’t be compel into buying an optional service you don’t want to”
The Commission also gave out its contact where complaints could be lodged.
NCC urged telcom users to call 622 or visit www.ncc.gov.ng to lodge complaint if compel to subscribe to any service that is optional.
Voice Mail is an easy-to-use answering service, available to both Prepaid and Postpaid telecommunication subscribers.
The service offers telco users the ability to receive voice messages from callers when phone is switched off, not reachable, busy or not answered.
It was gathered that all users of telco’s SIM card have their lines already provisioned on the service but would be required to activate it through subscription.
To use Voice Mail service; “Caller- A” calls “Receiver-B” who is active on Voice Mail and is not reachable, switched off or out of network coverage, “Caller-A” will hear the prompt:
“The number you are calling is switched off/busy/not answering. To send an Voice Note or Voice message at regular call charges, please stay on the line, otherwise hang-up now…At the tone record your message.
“At the tone, you will record the message and hang up. The voice Mail is sent after “Caller-A” hangs up”, an IT expert explained.
The expert added that, on a normal ground, subscribers are not supposed to be charged for being on the service.
