Consumers turn the heat on pay TV company over actual cost of hardware

As Nairobi residents brace themselves for the imminent switch off of their analogue television sets, consumers have been in

a rush to acquire approved set top boxes which will enable them continue accessing the essential service beyond the December 13^th date, a gazette deadline where Communication Commission of Kenya is expected to initiate the 1^st phase of ensuring Kenyans access television on the digital platform.

Pay television companies have taken advantage of this period to have brisk business but it seems in the process, the public are left at the mercy of companies eager to make money at the expense of the service they are to supposed to provide.

A letter sent by a concerned consumer to COFEK has been intercepted by Corporate Africa which shows a consumer raising concerns on how he was made to purchase a Pay Television decoder from Gotv only to realize that he had to pay monthly fees as opposed to what he thought was a decoder to migrate him to the digital platform at no fee.

In the end, the poor Kenyan is being pushed to spend up to Ksh 7,100 on a set top box whereas essentially there are those retailing at between Ksh 4,000 to 5,000 which would have seen him save up to Ksh 2,000!

See the letter copied below…Kenyans are urged to evaluate their options while purchasing their preferred set top boxes to avoid such frustrations as below. BE INFORMED! A visit to the digital Kenya website http://www.digitalkenya.go.ke/list-of-type-approved-dvb-t2-set-top-boxes-and-authorised-vendors will give you a list of approved set top boxes and their prices.

Consumer Exploitation by Gotv

My Name is Hesbon and I live in Kahawa Sukari. Given the indication that the Government intends to switch off the analogue television sets, I took up the initiative to purchase a set top box from Gotv for Ksh 4,500 where according to the company’s attendants who served me at a tent set up within the company’s compound in Westlands, I was to access all channels including our Kenyan channels.

Towards the end of October, I noticed I could only access KBC, I switched the decoder on and off and checked my aerial but the problem persisted. I then decided to take the decoder back to the company offices.

The attendant I met told me that what I paid when I purchased the decoder was inclusive of subscription which had now expired and if I want to continue accessing channels I had to pay monthly or pay another 2,600 to access Kenyan channels!! Why am I being charged extra money to access our channels which essentially should be free???

This means I will end up paying Ksh 7,100 (4,500 + 2,600) whereas had I known this before I purchased I would have purchased from another company which I see being advertised between 4,000 and 5,000. Gotv attendants said their decoder was cheaper now its evident it is very expensive!!

COFEK, don’t you protect consumers from such evident consumer exploitation? I feel cheated and bitter, I wonder how many Kenyans have been taken through the same.

Please do something.

Hesbon Wanyoike.