9 hours ago
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ABUJA – All existing customer service charters by operators in the transport and aviation sectors of the economy are to be reviewed, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has said.
The review would involve the amendment of the provisions of the various laws and regulatory frameworks on the various conditions under which the operators render services to their customers.
A senior official of the Commission said the review became necessary following a series of complaints by members of the public over alleged imposition of several conditions of service by operators in the sectors that infringe on the rights of consumers.
The official who did not want her name to be included in the report said the review would culminate in the submission of a draft legislation to the National Assembly for the amendment of the relevant provisions of the existing laws, to ensure the various service charters in the country were consistent with global best practices as well as compliance with acceptable regulatory standards.
A major part of the review, the official disclosed, would focus on those aspects of the service charters on the non-refunding policies of the operators regarding payments by customers for services not consumed, to avoid unnecessary exploitation.
The case with GIGM
He cited a recent case the Commission resolved, which involved a customer of God Is Good Motors (GIGM) who was denied the refund of the money he paid for a trip he planned to make in three days time, but had to cancel the booking less than 24 hours after the payment, for an unforseen development.
In this case, she said the customer, a journalist, wanted to travel from Abuja to Uyo on August 3, 2024 to cover a court case, scheduled for August 5.
On July 31, 2024, she said the customer booked for a ticket through the GIGM online booking portal and paid N42,500. However, the same day the payment was made, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced its planned nationwide strike scheduled to commence the following day, August 1, 2024, thus effectively invalidating the scheduled court sitting he planned to attend and cover in Uyo.
She said the immediately contacted GIGM on telephone to inform them about the latest development and his decision to reschedule the trip to a later date, or a refund of the N42,500 he paid for the fare.
GIGM no refund policy
She said a representative of GIGM who received the call, advised him to file his request through the same online portal used to make the booking and await a response.
In response to the request, he said the GIGM Experience Team sent a mail on August 2 to advise him to visit the company’s Utako office to file a formal request to reschedule the trip.
“Please know that unused tickets are valid for 30 days from the date booking was made, which can either be rescheduled for another date or rerouted for another destination within the routes we ply. Kindly communicate your new travel itinerary for use before the expiry date of your ticket,” the mail added.
On receiving the mail, the customer said he visited GIGM office and was told that the message was pursuant to the company’s non-refund policy not to return customers’ monies once payment was made for its services.
Three weeks after, the customer said he visited GIGM Utako office on August 21 to inform them of his decision to reschedule the trip till September 16.
But, he said the manager told him categorically that he would not be able to make the trip on that date, because the ticket and the booking would have expired by that date.
He said the manager told him the N42,500 fare he paid would not be refunded to him in line with the company’s non-refund policy.
Petition to FCCPC
Not satisfied, the customer said he petitioned the FCCPC on the issue in August 22, 2024, alleging unfair, obnoxious and criminal exploitation against GIGM and a demand for immediate intervention.
In its reaction, the customer said the Commission invited him to a meeting with the representative of GIGM in September 2024.
After the meeting with the FCCPC officials in September, the customer said he received an email on December 4, 2024 from the Surveillance & Investigation Department of the Commission, which handled the case, that all investigations concerning the matter was concluded and forwarded to the legal department for further input.
GIGM adamant
But despite the review of the merits of the case against the right of consumers guaranteed under the relevant provisions of the consumer protection laws, the aggrieved customer told our reporter on Saturday in Abuja that GIGM refused to refund the money to him for several months.
On February 4, 2025, he said a letter was sent to the Commission for an update on the matter.
Consequently, he said GIGM was compelled to refund the money to him after the Commission threatened to invoke its powers under the provisions of the FCCPC Act to sanction its management for contravening its regulatory directives.
“The Commission will not hesitate to sanction any organization seen to have contravened our laws enacted to enforce compliance with the provisions of our regulations. In fact, we are currently reviewing all service charters by the operators in the transport and aviation sectors of the economy in relation to consumer protection rights, to ensure they meet global standards”, a senior official of the Commission who spoke to our report on condition of anonymity said on Saturday.
“At the end of the review, a draft proposal will be submitted to the National Assembly for an amendment to the relevant laws relating consumer service charters in all sectors of the economy,” she added.
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