Tigo Hikes Airtime Tariff 'Silently'
Daily News/22 April 2010

Dar Es Salaam — MIC Tanzania, a mobile phone operator trading as Tigo, has 'silently' hiked its airtime tariffs, a move that industry watchers describe as stealing from the unsuspecting customers.

According to the cellular phone operator's website, Tigo subscribers actually pay, albeit unaware, 25 per cent over and above the tariff rates that the company is propagating.
The tariff rate for the company's peak hours that start at 6pm through 10pm is 1/25 against the widely publicised 1/- per second.
The tariff increase took effect soon after the firm announced its record lowest tariff of half a shilling per second after the first minute, the talk of the town currently.

According to Industry sources, the 6-10pm are the most productive hours in which mobile phone companies generate over 50 per cent of their revenues. This is reportedly the time when majority people are through with work and have ample time to socialize with family members, relatives and friends.
The four-hour hike in tariff by Tigo, informed sources say, enables the company to compensate for the lost revenues during the hours in which subscribers talk at the half shilling per minute.
Interviewed people have criticized the company, saying even if the tariff hike sought to compensate for the lost revenues, the hike should have been communicated to the public through proper means, not the website whose access is limited to few people compared to those subscribing to the network.

"Informing the public about a price hike through the website is merely stealing from the majority people who do not have access to the internet - we make calls not knowing exactly how much we are being charged," one irritated Tigo subscribers complained to the 'Daily News'.

Amina Athuman a Dar es Salaam resident said that the company should have advertised the increase just as they do when they reduce tariff so that people should make choices on how and when to make calls.

"When they reduce tariffs they don't just advertise on their website - they advertise in various media of communications - radios, newspapers and televisions - to reach majority of Tanzanians.
But now they have increased tariffs, they opt to advertise on the web which only few people have access to," Ms Athuman charged.
But, Tigo Public Relations manager Jackson Mbando denied claims of tariff increment, saying the company was always striving to reduce their prices to become the cheapest and widely affordable.

He said that the company has no intention to increase tariffs, adding that the 1.25 per second tariff was tax inclusive. However, the announcement on the website has stated that the charges are tax exclusive.

Michuzi Blog

Tanzanian blog operating since 2005, covering International news and Local News, including Politics, Fashion, Social Scenes, Interviews, Movies, Events, personalities and anything positive happening worldwide. Written in Swahili and English targeting both Swahili and English readers.

Toa Maoni Yako:

Kuna Maoni 15 mpaka sasa

  1. Mchaga anafanya kazi yake...hajui kama biashara z xtremely competitive nw.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mwaushe OhiwaApril 25, 2010

    This has to be reported to Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA). The Consumer Consultative Council is charged with duty to receive such complaints. Alternatively one may visit www.tcra.go.tz there are complaint forms one can fill them and send them to TCRA.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UJUMBE MAALUM KWA WATUMIAJI WOTE WA SIMU TANZANIA

    Usiamini kile unachoambiwa na kampuni ya simu. Fanya zoezi hili halafu utaona unavyoibiwa.

    1. Angalia salio la muda wa maongezi (piga *102#)
    2. Piga simu kwenda mtu mwingine kwenye mtandao huo huo
    3. Nenda kwenye Call Log, angalia "Duration of Last Call"
    4. Kama imezidi dakika moja, igeuze kuwa sekunde
    5. Piga hesabu kwa tariff (bei) ulizoambiwa na kampuni lako; Ongeza na VAT 18% halafu andika jibu pembeni
    6. Angalio salio tena (yaani piga *102#)
    7. Chukua salio la awali (yaani toka namba 1 hapo juu) toa na salio la namba 6 hapo juu. Andika jibu pembeni
    8. Linganisha jibu ulilopata namba 5, na lile ulilopata namba 7.

    Kama majibu yanalingana njoo leo ulale na mke wangu. Sikufanyi kitu!

    Utakachogundua ni kamba jibu la namba 7 (yaani hela uliyokatwa) ni kubwa kuliko jibu la namba 5 (yaani hela uliyotakiwa kukatwa kwa mujibu wa likampuni lako)

    Hitimisho: Makampuni yote ni wezi. Kuna hidden charges kwenye hizi simu ambazo hawazisemi kwenye matangazo yao.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ebu andikeni kiswahili sasa wengine tutaelewa vipi hii ishu? mnajua fika asilimia kuuubwa ya wateja wa tigo ni vihiyo sasa mnaleta english ushuzz humu ili iweje?? full boring!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ni kweli kabisa hii habari, ukipiga simu saa 12 mpaka 4 usiku utajuta kwani unakatwa hata sijui sh. Ngapi kwa sekunde, ni nyingi.
    Anoy wa saa 01.04 uko sahihi kabisa lakini mkeo amekubaliana nawe katika hilo?

    ReplyDelete
  6. sasa mbona chezolenyewe kama la vijana wa kova. Ingekuwa huku hizo fedha zingerudishwa kupitia salio. kazi ya TCRA ni ipi haswa?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anon 25: 01: 03: 00, huyo mke wako muachane kwa amani tu ndugu yangu, haina haja mpaka utafute visingizio vya kuachana. Yasije yakawa yale yaleee...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wadau haya mambo yapo mimi nakumbana nayo karibu kila mwezi. Sidhani kama ni Tigo pekee, nakubaliana na mdau hapo juu kuwa, ni mitandao yote ya bongo.

    Mimi huwa nanunua 1GB kwa bei ya punguzo nishushie mzigo kwa mwezi lakini ninapokuwa nimefikia 700MB au 750MB (jumla ya downloads na uploads) jamaa wananiletea message kwamba 1GB imeisha.

    Mamlaka inayotakiwa kuangalia jinsi tunavyotozwa na mitandao ya simu hawafanyi kazi yao, hiki ni kitu rahisi sana kuweza kubaini.

    unaambiwa umezawadiwa message kumi za bure uzitumie kwa muda fulani. Ukianza kuhesabu wala hazifiki kumi utakuta jamaa tayari wameanza kukucharge.

    Kusema ukweli watumiaji tunaibiwa sana.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nyani haoni kundule.

    Bwana mdogo, Anon 01:04 PM, mbona na wewe umetuchanganyia kiinglish. Sasa "full boring" maana yake nini?

    Unakerwa na kitu ambacho hakikukeri, hahahaaaaa!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. DAWA NI KUHAMA KWENDA KAMPUNI INGINE YA SIMU NA PIA KUWE NA POLICE/NINA MAANA CHOMBO KINACHODHIBITI HAYA MAKAMPUNI YA SIMU CHENYEMENO NA SHERIA KALI YA KUWEZA KUYACHUKULIA HATUWA HAYA MASHIRIKA YA SIMU YAKIKIUKA MASHARITI YAO ADHABU KUBWA YA FAINI ITOLEWA IKIWA PAMOJA NA KIFUNGO KWA CHIEF EXCUTIVE OFFICE NDO WATAACHA KUWAIBIA WATU. KAMA WANAVYOFANYA EU HUWA WANAKAMATI MAALAMU HUKO MAKAO MAKUU YA EU BRUSSELS INAYODHIBITI MASWALA YA MAWASILIANO NA INAUWEZO WA AINA ZOTE HATA KUFUTA KAMPUNI, AU KUTOZA FAINI, AU KUILAZIMIZA KUPUNGUZA RATE ZAO NA SISI EAST AFRIKA TUWE NA VITU KAMA HIVYO IN SHORT WANAPATA FAIDA KUBWA ZA WIZI NDO MAANA WANAWEZA HATA KUENDESHA BAHATI NASIBU ZA KULIPA MAMILIONI BILA KUTETEREKA. TUJIULIZE PESA WANAPATA WAPI ZA KUENDESHA MABAHATI NASIBU KAMA HAYO NA KUTOWA UDHAMINI WA MAMBO MBALIMBALI KWA PESA NYINGI NI WAZI WANAIBIA WATEJA KWENYE RATE ZAO

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous wa 01:03:00 PM: Hesabu yako inaacha kodi ya ushuru wa bidhaa wa asilimia 10. Jumla ya kodi ni aslimia 28 na siyo 18. Kwa gharama kupungua na kodi nazo itabidi zishuke. Hiyo ndio nayosababisha majibu yako kutofanana

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous wa 01:03:00 PM: Hesabu yako inaacha kodi ya ushuru wa bidhaa wa asilimia 10. Jumla ya kodi ni aslimia 28 na siyo 18. Kwa gharama kupungua na kodi nazo itabidi zishuke. Hiyo ndio nayosababisha majibu yako kutofanana

    Sun Apr 25, 09:37:00 PM

    NA BAADA YA UFAFANUZI HUU INABIDI UKALALE NA MKEWE.NA HAKUFANYI KITU.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hawa TCRA na Mitandao ya Simu watuwekee utaratibu mzima wa kodi ili watu tuwe tunajipigia tu wenyewe tujue ... wana gharama zilizojificha kwenye rates...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kwa lugha ya Kingereza, "Excise Duty"! Thanks to our govt!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sun Apr 25, 01:03:00pm mbona una mitusi ivo na dharau kwa mwanamke alikaa uchi akakuzaa wewe na ukasihi adi sasa????????????

    HESHIMU MWANAMKE wee kenge!!kama mke umemchoka si umuache?umesikia hatapata bwana??

    ofkoz WIZI wa makampuni ya simu mbona ndo zao wezi hawa???nshawai jaribisha iyo ya sms 10 bure mbona wezi tu nilikatwa sms ya ngapi tu hata 10 hazikufika nikaona mafala tu hawa mainjinia wa simu!!!kazi kujishaua na makopo yao yenye nembo za makampuni

    ReplyDelete

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