NCC ‘monitoring billing of subscribers’ to avoid over charging

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it has put in place mechanism to monitor the billing of subscribers by network providers to avoid over charging.

Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC, said this at the 8th Consumer Conversation Programme (CCP), which held in Lugbe, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The CCP is designed to educate consumers on their rights and privileges as they relate with the telecom service providers.

It is also an avenue to bring the commission’s activities closer to the consumers at the grassroots.

Danbatta represented by Helen Obi, NCC head of zonal operations, said the commission was making sure that service providers do not use the wrong billing method in any services rendered to the consumer.

“NCC has set a price tag and price floor for the network operators which they are not supposed to go beyond,” Danbatta said.

“NCC keeps monitoring them and there is a department that is set up in the commission to take care of issues of over billing and charging.

“Before any service provider put out any billing or charges on the services it is providing for subscribers, such provider must get approval from NCC and anyone that flouts that order gets penalised.”

Danbatta said empowering the consumer was one of the commission’s driving forces for the year having declared it as ‘Year of the Telecom Consumer’.

He urged the consumers to take advantage of “STOP” to the short code “2442’’ to stop all unsolicited text messages or “HELP” to the same code to be availed with options of interest.

He said if the issues were not resolved by their telecom operators or the consumers were not satisfied, they should make their complaints known to the commission via its the toll free line, 622.