Safaricom introduces ‘no expiry dates’ for data bundles day after law suit
Safaricom on Wednesday surprised their subscribers with a few goodies, the most notable one being scrapping off ‘expiry dates’ on data bundles.
The announcements, which coincided with Safricom’s 19th birthday, came after lawyer and ICT practitioner, Adrian Kamotho, on Monday sued three mobile telephone operators, Safaricom included, for illegally depriving consumers of their unused data bundles.
In a complaint filed before the Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal, Mr Kamotho said he was aggrieved by the high cost of data and frustrated by the arbitrary expiry of hard-earned bundles.
Kamotho wants the tribunal to order Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya to furnish him with their current data tariffs or prominently display the current data tariffs on their websites.
He also wants the companies to stop depriving consumers of their unused data based on the data expiry model.
Mr Kamotho said the firms discriminate against consumers by charging “out of bundle” rates, which are different from normal bundle rates.
He said consumers have a right to accurate and understandable bills for products and services accepted by customers, and prompt redress in the event of a dispute in the provision of the services, as well as protection from unfair trade practices.
Meanwhile, Safaricom is yet to issue any statement with regards to the law suit or why they have introduced the no expiry dates on data bundles.