Abuja – Subscribers in Abuja on Monday lamented that they have been unable to enjoy the World Cup due to poor services provided by Multi-Choice, owner of DStv and Gotv television services.

The subscribers, who made their views known in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said they were not happy with the kind of services which DStv had been rendering to them.

Mr Fredrick Dede, who lives in Kubwua, said he closed from work and went home to watch the World Cup because of the warning by the Federal Government urging people to shun viewing centres.

“I am highly disappointed that the services provided by DStv are below expectations; I expected to get the best from them, especially during the World Cup but their services are so far poor.

“Since we cannot go to the club to watch the match, I paid a huge amount to subscribe to their services but the network has been terribly bad.

“At times it fluctuates even when it is not raining.

“If not for the insecurity in the country, I would have driven to a sport club to watch the match; I pray that solution will be found to the problem soon.”

Miss Aisha Adele, who lives in Central Area, Abuja, said her intention was to sit and enjoy cable programmes at home.

“I cannot not believe what I am getting; the worst of it is that the DStv cable’s epileptic service has not been resolved; yet, they introduced another service called GO-tv.”

Dr Chineye Okereke, of Nyanyan, a satellite town of Abuja, said he had been an active user of DStv services since 2005.

“During the initial years, the services were satisfactory but t as time went on they appeared to lose focus.”

She criticised the mode of payment for the service which she said had been discouraging many users.

Mr Omeiza Mohammed of Lokogoma Estate in Abuja, said the pre-paid mode of payment adopted by the DStv was exploitative.

He explained that at times the people at the call centres would fail to answers call by subscribers trying to lodge complaints.

Mr Ifeayi Okoronkwo of Area 10, Abuja, also accused the Multi-Choice of making unjustified deductions from subscribers.

Mr Ben Yussuf, a resident of Gwarimpa, Abuja, lamented that because of the said poor service subscribers don’t get value for their money.

“This is probably because of the monopoly they enjoy. Many people do not get the necessary attention when they go to their offices to lodge complaints because of the large crowed.

“We always experience delay in booting and most times, services are cut off before the expiring date of subscription.”

Doyin Omotayo, a student, complained that the service provider “disconnects customers anyhow if subscribers default in payment.

“I want to seize this opportunity to call on the sector’s regulator to look into the shortcomings just like it is doing with phone operators.

Mr Odumegwu Francis, a Manager in one of the DStv centres in Wuse 2, Abuja, told NAN that the company had been receiving complaints and insults from customers on a daily basis over poor services.

He said, however, that the company would intensify efforts to make things work.

Mr Segun Fayose, Head, Corporate Communications of Multi-Choice, said fluctuation of signal was a challenge faced by the company.

He noted that the case of weather affecting cable television networks is not peculiar to Nigeria.

“It is a global thing which happens even in more developed countries of the world.”

He promised that the company would try and improve on its services during the World Cup and after.

– NAN