Correct injustice to Claro customers

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Dear Editor,

Many Jamaicans, including former Claro customers, have now accepted the Digicel/Claro deal, but may not be sure of what the transition entails and the procedures now in place. It is being advertised that LIME is offering a SIM card with $1,000 credit while Digicel is offering twice the credit for the same transaction, but what about the handsets?

As a former Claro customer I was interested in joining the Digicel network, so I went into a store to complete the transaction. I was surprised to find out that many of the low-end former Claro handsets are now only tradable for a mere $500 Digicel credit and otherwise are useless. The customer service attendant instructed me that I would now have to buy a Digicel handset.

This is an injustice against the thousands of Claro customers who believed that when buying a handset, they would be entitled to service from the network. However, former Claro customers do not only face the inconvenience of being kicked off the network but are now forced to buy new handsets. Digicel must be reminded that they do have a moral obligation to somehow continue the access of telecommunication for the Claro customers (now Digicel customers) without adding an additional expense.

Many of these handsets already in the possession of former Claro customers are very expensive, and to be greeted with this news is most unfair. I pray this is not the beginning of the muscle flexing by the new telecommunications giant. Digicel is known by all for its keen attention to customer service and satisfaction, but I feel at this point neither served nor satisfied. I am therefore calling on the governing body of the telecommunications market and Digicel to address this injustice immediately.

Kemmar Webber

kemmarwebber@gmail.com