Sorry for taking long to fix your satellite dish, says Zuku

I am a very disappointed customer with PayTV company, Zuku. 

Despite calling the company on numerous occasions — about 20 times — for the last three months, nothing has been done on my satellite dish which needs to be reset with new settings just as it has been done with other customers around Ring Road area, Nyeri County.

The firm downgraded me from full package to Asian channels without informing me. I am now being asked to pay Sh2,100 yet the other customers’ settings were done free of charge.

Every time I call Zuku customer care centre, it takes on average of about 20 minutes before someone replies to me with an empty promise that the problem will be solved soon.

Although Zuku is very prompt in disconnecting the service even after a day’s delay in payment, I have noted it is taking ages to fix the new settings.

I now want Zuku to tell me how come I am being charged Sh2,100 for services done for free to other customers? Why does it take about half-an-hour for any one in customer care to answer my call or is it because a lot of customers are complaining about the same?

Why is it that Zuku is taking so long to fix the problem yet it is very prompt in disconnecting customers for non-payments?

If you are unable to provide the new setting, please let me know so that I can make a decision on whether to move on to another service payTV firm.

— Ranjit Singh Sagoo.

Thank you, Sagoo, for raising this matter with us.

We got in touch with your payTV service provider about this matter and we thank Zuku for its prompt response. Zuku also noted that it was in direct contact with you and working to resolve the problem.

The company regrets that this has taken way longer than expected and has apologised for the inconvenience caused.

According to a statement from the company, your case has now been sorted as signal migration has taken place successfully and you are now receiving all channels.

Zuku has also vowed to follow-up with you and ensure that your dish is in the best condition to provide the intended services. We hope that you are now happy with the service you are subscribed for.

Kindly get in touch with us in case you need any further assistance.

Hi, I am a student in Kenyatta University and currently enjoying my long vacation.

However, I am a disappointed customer of Equity Bank because I have lost Sh200 from my lender.

After school last semester, I withdrew Sh6,000 from my account and left a balance of Sh400.

But I was shocked to check the bank balance last month only to find Sh200 had been deducted from my account.

Please, may you help me to know where my money disappeared to because other Equity Bank customers I know of are also complaining of the same.

Thank you in advance.
— Erick Karani.

Hallo Erick.
We appreciate you for contacting us to help you solve a transaction complaint with Equity Bank.

However, on contacting your bank with your matter, contrary to what you stated here, the bank maintains that there is no such a charge as you allege in your account.

The lender noted that the only fee was for processing your salary and ATM withdrawal. The bank has urged you to get in touch with it so that you can be taken through your bank transactions.

I bought a phone charger from a shop in Nairobi and I was very upset to learn that the outlet scanned and kept a soft copy of my national identity card in its computer system. This was done without my consent.

I saw the cashier getting my ID from below the counter. I got curious as to why she removed my ID form beneath and so went to the other side of the counter for a better view and that is when I saw the scanner.

I complained to her about it because I was very upset. She told me that is what they have been told to do whenever they carry out VISA transactions and that she could not delete it.

My worry is, how safe is my information in their system given that I have heard of cases where people misuse other’s ID. For example, a few years back, some crooks were using copies of ID’s to change the bank account to which one’s salary is paid so that they could divert the cash into their accounts. Thankfully this was sorted out.

I feel that what the shop did was wrong. Please advise me if it is proper to do what they did to me. I have scanned a copy of the receipt for you to have a look at.

— Annie Wamaitha.

Ann, thank you for writing to us.

We contacted Visa Business, the relevant organisation in this case. In its response, the firm noted that this is not a desirable business practice and it should be discouraged where there is evidence of it happening.

In principle, both your signature or PIN verifies a transaction, and that should be good enough. Visa Business noted that in Kenya, the government, through the Central Bank, has encouraged showing proof of your ID.

This is acceptable, but only to verify the card belongs to the cardholder, and not to take a scanned copy or print of that person’s ID.

Definition of disability in cover determines pay

Q Among personal insurances is disability cover that is fairly common in the US, as I know. Do we have this product in Kenya?

— Carol, M. Naivasha

DISABILITY insurance is an income replacement policy, which pays money when disability arises from some cause defined in the policy to qualify the insured for benefits.

It staves off family disaster brought by the inability of a breadwinner to work during times when, say, injury, or other mishap as may be stated in the policy, prevents an insured from earning an income.

The manner in which the policy defines the term disability is crucial to determining when and what benefits you will receive. Disability will usually be defined in one of the following ways:

• The inability of the insured to work and perform the duties of his/her usual occupation, when the insured is not otherwise working: The key phrase here is “usual occupation”.

This does not mean the disability prevents you from doing anything, but from working in the job or occupation you are used to (which will often be listed in the proposal for insurance).

However, there is also a requirement that the disabled person is not working because of injury or the event insured against.

• The inability of the insured to perform duties is any occupation for which he or she should be able to work due to education, training and experience: This a more stringent definition.

Under this concept, not only would your usual occupation have to be out of question but equivalent occupation. Thus, one prevented from pursuing their usual job because of injury but could work in an alternative job would probably not be considered disabled under this definition.

• The inability of the insured to work at all: Few injuries are so bad that they fall under this strict standard. After all, most humans have the capacity to be productive unless they are comatose. This definition is rarely used in disability policies.

Since the definition of disability has such a direct bearing on whether benefits will be paid, always look for the definition in relation to the time period during which the definition is in effect.

Most policies require a total disability (whether temporary or permanent) of the insured before benefits are payable. Thus, if you have only lost the capacity to perform some of the duties but not all your occupation, the insurer may call it a partial disability and refuse benefits.

Most policies will not replace all of the income you would lose if you became disabled. For one, the amount you receive may be less than your normal income because the insurer wants you to have an incentive to go back to work. Secondly, you usually receive the benefits tax-free.

Thirdly, it is anticipated that your expenses will be reduced. Then, fourthly, your benefits may be reduced if you are the beneficiary of other disability funds such as workmen’s compensation.

Finally, the benefits period, that is, the time limit during which benefits are payable, also limits the benefits to that time frame. Most personal accident policies, the usual type of disability in our market, will limit weekly indemnity to 104 weeks.

Longer term disability insurance, such as found in the US with illness also included as a cause of disability, are hard to find in our market. However, with insurers becoming more innovative, it is possible that improvements of the local offerings will appear by and by.

— ISAAC NG’ARU

For questions on any aspect of insurance write to [email protected]