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How unscrupulous electronics traders are conning unsuspecting Nairobians


A Nairobi woman on Monday afternoon became a victim of a con game that is taking rooting among dealers of electronic equipment in the city.

When Paula Wai walked into an electronics shop along Luthuli Avenue in search of an affordable television set, little did she know that she would soon fall for what she initially thought was a good purchase deal.

She settled for a 26 inch LED TV set which was priced at Sh16, 000 after negotiations with the shop attendant.

“The seller went ahead and wrote a receipt and told one of the guys to prepare for me the TV set. The next guy told me that I have to buy another gadget that costs Sh11,500, pay 5k installation fee and a subscription fee of Sh 500 for the TV to function. That is when I knew that I have been conned,” narrated Ms Wai on Facebook.

The additional purchases had not been communicated to her during the negotiations so she requested for a refund after a change of mind.

“I asked them to refund me my 16k but they told me that the guy I paid to had left, so it’s either add another 3k and to get an LG Tv set or I wait for the guy I paid my 16k to come back which took decades. I was left with no option but to buy a set that I never wanted and at an exorbitant and exploitative price,” wrote Ms Wai.

NO REFUND

The woman opted to add some money and walk out with a different brand as the person she had paid was nowhere to be seen.

According to Ms Wai, the owner of the shop refused to refund the money stating that it was against the shops policy, leaving her with an option of only changing the brand and settling for a TV she never wanted.

Users who commented on the narration shared their experiences with the electronic shops along Luthuli Avenue stating that it had become a norm for them to include other gadgets after negotiations and payments of the main gadget have been done.

One user stated, “I can relate… this is exactly what they did to me.”

Another commented, “They refunded my money after I called them all names under the sun. When that didn’t work I told them to pack for me the one I had chosen anyway and they take the hunchback they were offering to their grandma. They said am kichwa ngumu.”