The Consumer Protection Council has directed MTN Communications Limited to pay N1.85 million to one of the winners of its Ultimate Wonder Promo for lack of due diligence.
This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the Head of Public Relations of the CPC, Abiodun Obimuyiwa.
According to the statement, CPC’s order came following a complaint brought by Omeje Fidelis against the telecommunications giant.
It stated that Fidelis had been underpaid after he was declared winner of N2 million in the sales promotion, which was held in 2012.
The statement explained that Fidelis had participated in the promo and was called through MTN line 180 on October 10, 2012 that he had won N2 million in the Ultimate Wonder Promo.
It stated that on October 12 of the same year, Fidelis got a text message informing him of the presentation ceremony fixed for October 19 at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
It added: “Fidelis asserted that during the said ceremony, he was presented with a dummy cheque of N2 million, was interviewed and paraded before the media and the world as a winner of the said amount.
“He was stunned to receive another call from MTN line 180 on November 2, 2012 that his winning was N150,000 and was thereafter given a Verve ATM card for that amount.”
The CPC in the statement said MTN, when confronted by council, denied the claim of Fidelis, saying that he was from the onset informed that the winning prize was N150,000.
The statement by the CPC said: “MTN said that Fidelis deceitfully presented himself when winners in the N2 million category were called forward on the day of the prize presentation.
“MTN further stated that Fidelis’s antics was discovered at the verification of winners, which was done after the ceremony and he was thereafter contacted through its 180 line on his misrepresentation pursuant to which he apologised.”
The statement, however, said that CPC thereafter, demanded for the call data of the communications on October 2012 when Fidelis was informed of his winnings N150,000.
The CPC said that MTN failed, refused and neglected to comply with the request made both in 2012 and 2016.
“The CPC, in its Orders, frowned at the consistent refusal of MTN to provide the call data records evidencing details of communication with Fidelis,” it said.
The council declared: “In the absence of this material evidence which is solely in the possession of MTN, the CPC must resolve the issue in favour of the Fidelis.”
It further declared that the process of the MTN Ultimate Wonder Promotion whereby the verification exercise was conducted after winners were identified, declared and presentation of winners publicly was grossly flawed.
It stated: “It is lacking in transparency, inequitable and apparently calculated to deceive consumers.
“CPC, on the strength of these observations, therefore directs MTN to pay within 14 days of receipt of its order the sum of N1,850,000 being the unpaid part of the N2 million prize won by the complainant in the 2012 MTN Ultimate Wonder Promotion.”
According to the statement, Dupe Atoki, the Director General of CPC, urged businesses owners to desist from promos that are not honest, transparent, equitable, faithful or designed to deceive consumers.
NAN.
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