Unfortunately Glo Think Less Of Their Subscribers

Unfortunately Glo Think Less Of Their Subscribers

By: Lugard Ekhator
1st July, 2014.

Globacom Limited, operators of Glo Mobile Network has been a pace setters in revolutionising the mobile sector in Nigeria when they came into business on 29th August, 2003.

They didn't just launched on the per second billing platform, a feat her predecessors earlier stated would be made possible by the year 2011, they equally crashed the entry fee of acquiring a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM)  card from around thirty thousand naira (N30,000) to as low as ten thousand naira (N10,000) on contract basis.

This development soon gave the common man in the street an opportunity to taste the power of mobile communications, a situation that saw hundreds of people queuing up in the various Glo World offices across Nigeria both in the rain and sunshine, which was hitherto the exclusive preserved of the rich and average people in the society before the advent of Glo mobile network.

And within a few years of operations, Glo again led the further crashing of the Sim card acquisition to just one naira (N1.00) as it stands today. And as the mobile network operators in Nigeria scrambled for a sizeable market share, Glo mobile introduced other packages, promotions and bonus services to retain and attract new customers to their network, and it has always paid off.

Glo mobile network also led other network operators in Nigeria in the provision of mobile Internet communications, which is today the driving force amongst the various mobile operators in Nigeria, as each of them always seek to outdo one another with different enticing data packages and plans.

Be that as it may, Glo mobile network had also led other network operators in Nigeria in the area of poor network service delivery across its services.
From drop calls to incomplete call setup, exorbitant pricing regime, reneging on promos and bonuses, tariff adjustment without recourse to her subscribers, outright wiping off accrued data bonuses without reimbursement, among several other annoying and painful practices, since the inception of this indigenous firm called Glo Mobile Network.

Even at that, Nigerians still kept faith with Glo mobile network hoping that with our continuous patronage as an indigenous firm, things will somehow get better but alas.

Meanwhile with the stiff competition in the mobile sector in Nigeria today and especially as the Mobile Number Portability MNP regime has began, one would have opined that Glo mobile will be mindful on its dealings with their customers, but this is never the case.

When in 2012 Nigerians were able to use Glo Blackberry Internet subscription on their non Blackberry devices, a lot of customers came to the Glo network from other service providers. But when they stopped this practice in February 2013, majority of the subscribers who came to the Glo network courtesy of using a BB data plan on a non Blackberry device returned to their initial service providers, while others simply changed their network provider outrightly.

Therefore with the introduction of G-BAM and Bounce prepaid tariff plans respectively, the loyal subscribers to the Glo mobile indigenous network were somehow relieved, since they can acquire 5MB data volume for N5 daily and 30MB free data bonus on the recharge of N200 and above respectively.
Again just like the BB plans on non BB devices brought subscribers to the network, these two prepaid plans did more, and subscribers were happy.

Painfully Glo mobile network management till date keep on splashing hundreds of dollars on promoting artists in the entertainment industry and football circles with bogus benefits, people who contribute little or nothing to her survival as a brand, while their subscribers who ensure their staying in business with their continuous patronage are left in the dark. What a pity!

Sadly when Glo mobile launched their attacks against their subscribers, they started with auto migration of users to other packages without the subscribers consent or knowledge. In fact some subscribers had to migrate back to their preferred tariff plans with a minimum fee of N100, but only to be auto migrated out again by Glo in few days time. Sad!

But lately, Glo mobile network has become very insensitive and unfriendly to their prepaid subscribers.
The weekly Super Sunday bonus which earlier required a total usage of N200 and above from Monday - Saturday to be returned 100% on Sunday as bonus, with 20% and 80% for off-net and on-net calls respectively, has been jerked up by Glo for a compulsory usage of N1,000 minimum before you can now qualify for a N500 Glo-to-Glo calls on Sundays. Sad!

In the same vein, the FAF calls on G-BAM which hitherto charges 5k/sec (N3/min) to five registered Glo numbers have been removed. All calls on G-BAM now charges 18k/sec (N10.80k/min). Sad!

On the Bounce tariff plan platform, bounce-to-bounce calls that usually cost 5k/sec (N3/min) have been raised to 9k/sec (N5.40k/min), while the free 30MB data bonus with initial validity of 7 days now offer 2 days. Sad!

Therefore as Glo mobile network prepare to mark their 11th year of successful business operations in Nigeria despite the harsh environment it operate, who's advising Glo Mobile Network Management against their teeming subscribers?
Glo, can Nigerians still count and depend on you?

Only time shall truly tell.