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I bought a GOTV decoder. Two days later, the power adapter stopped working. I wasn’t worried—after all, there’s always a warranty. I knew I only needed to take the faulty equipment back to the office where I purchased it.
At the office, I queued for almost an hour and a half to be attended to.
There weren’t enough staff handling complaints and subscription payments. When
it was finally my turn, the lady at the counter said, “The warranty doesn’t
cover this. You will have to pay N500 to get another one.”
“Why doesn’t the warranty cover the power cable—for a big international
company like Multichoice?” I protested. I wanted to continue arguing but
realized it would be unwise to make so much noise over N500. So, I told her,
“I’ll pay, but only because I don’t want to waste energy over N500.” I paid,
and someone from the store handed the adapter—unwrapped—to the staff, who then
gave it to me.
The whole process felt unprofessional and lacking the corporate ambience one
would expect. First, the device wasn’t packaged; it was handed to me bare, as
if I were buying crawfish from Kugiya Market. Second, since I had paid for it,
there should have been a receipt. I wanted to uphold the Nigerian standard of a
gentleman transaction. Third, the adapter wasn’t tested to confirm that it
worked. This made me suspect that the warranty might actually cover such items,
but the staff were exploiting the loophole to make some extra cash.
Multichoice has long been known for quality and high standards—whether in
the clarity of their visuals or the reliability of their hardware. However,
recent events suggest a decline. The company has faced challenges in Nigeria,
from customers migrating to cheaper competitors to public protests over sudden
subscription hikes of up to 20%. Each time, many thought the company would
fold, yet it managed to survive.
Survival may have come at a cost. The company redesigned its decoders,
opting for lighter, smaller versions made of cheap plastics with less appeal.
Worse still, manufacturing was outsourced to a Chinese company. While Chinese
firms are bold in mass production, they often compromise on quality.
In Multichoice’s earlier days of prestige, their hardware rarely failed
within the warranty period. Companies usually issue warranties confidently
because they trust the durability of their products. So when a company excludes
items like power adapters from warranty, it signals they are aware of potential
quality issues and want to avoid constant replacements, repairs, or refunds.
This raises a key question: should giant international companies be allowed
to sell products without warranty coverage? Governments are expected to protect
their citizens from exploitation by enforcing strict warranty requirements.
Warranties benefit both companies and customers. They reassure customers
about product durability, motivate manufacturers to improve quality, and build
trust between brands and consumers. Without them, customers are left
vulnerable, and companies risk eroding their reputation.
