The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has developed a joint framework with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to address consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data transactions caused by network downtime, system glitches, or human input errors. The initiative is designed to guarantee refunds within 30 seconds.
Nneka Ukoha, NCC’s spokesperson, said the framework followed months of engagement involving mobile network operators (MNOs), value-added service (VAS) providers, deposit money banks (DMBs), and other stakeholders. It represents a unified approach by the telecommunications and financial sectors to resolve growing consumer complaints over debits without corresponding airtime or data.
The framework introduces an enforceable service level agreement (SLA) for MNOs and banks, defining their responsibilities in transaction processing and dispute resolution. Consumers debited without receiving value for airtime or data are entitled to refunds within 30 seconds, unless the transaction is pending, in which case refunds may take up to 24 hours. Operators must also notify consumers via SMS of the success or failure of every transaction.
Freda Bruce-Bennett, NCC Director of Consumer Affairs, said a central monitoring dashboard will track failed transactions, refunds, and SLA breaches in real time, jointly hosted by the NCC and CBN. The framework also addresses erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect purchases, and transactions made to the wrong phone number.
Pending final approval and technical integration, the framework is set to be implemented on March 1. Bruce-Bennett noted that MNOs and banks have already refunded over N10 billion to customers for failed transactions, underscoring the regulators’ commitment to ensuring consumers receive full value for their purchases.