First Nigerian Complaint Website Launched

In an effort to give Nigerian consumers an avenue to express their dissatisfaction with bad products or services, a Lagos-based marketing consulting firm, Wow Effect Communications, has launched the first ever consumer complaint website called naijacomplaint.com

In a statement by the online Marketing Manager of the firm, Mr. Williams Popoola, the idea of a consumer complaint site by the firm was borne out of the need to empower consumers by properly channelling their complaints to the appropriate authorities to get the right response.

According to Mr. Popoola, aside from being a channel for forwarding consumers complaints to the concerned product or service providers, the website will also afford consumers the opportunity to have their own brands and have a say on how these brands deal with them.

He said, “Our effort with the website is to give consumers across the country an avenue to express their dissatisfaction with any product or service. It is part of our contribution to deepening consumer protection in Nigeria.

“In many civilised countries, this kind of website has become the hope of consumers especially with advancement in interaction web technology which has now made it possible for consumers to express their dissatisfaction.

“Here in Nigeria, most consumers do not have access to the Consumer Protection Council,CPC. Most product and service providers know this and exploit it to short-change consumers knowing that there is no one really watching.

“Our approach with the website is to let the consumers make their complaints and we channel it to the company concerned. In a way, we act as ombudsmen. If the issue is not amicably settled between the consumer and the company, we take a step further by forwarding the complaint to CPC and other relevant authorities for further action.

“While all these interactions are on, subscribers to our website will be privy to the complaint of other users and made to act cautiously.

“In addition, all complaints posted on the website will be highly optimised for visibility. This is because we have utilised the most advanced search engine optimisation tactics to ensure maximum exposure, thereby forcing the concerned company to pay attention,” he said.

Explaining that the website is not just an avenue for complaints alone but also for brand knowledge and many other consumer-related interactions, Mr. Popoola noted: “Aside from being a website for complaints, the site also offers consumers a platform to share their good experiences. We don’t just post complaints alone but also praises which help to give confident to consumers about a product or service.”

On how complaints can be posted on the site, Mr. Popoola explained: “To post a complaint, you will be required to click ‘Post on complaint’ link on our home page. You will be requested to register first for you to obtain a username. The registration is absolutely free and takes just a minute.

“Companies wishing to respond to complaints concerning them will also need to follow the same process.”