The Nation Newspaper

Tag: customers

  • Flour Mills celebrates customers, launches new products

    Flour Mills celebrates customers, launches new products

    Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc has held its Golden Penny Customers’ Forum in Lagos.

    At the event,  its customers were rewarded for their loyalty to the company and its products.

    It was also an opportunity for the company to share information on its plans.

    Such plans include the launch of three new products – Daily Delight Instant Cereal, Golden Penny Margarine and Golden Penny Vegetable Oil, which were unveiled and are available in the market and in stores.

    Group Managing Director, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Paul Gbededo, said the occasion was unique because it was the first time Golden Penny Business partners of both B2B and B2C are rewarded the same day as one Team with One Dream.

    He referred to the customers as partners because without them the company was not complete hence the need to celebrate them. He added that the company has continued to maintain leadership through production of quality, healthy and affordable products to meet the demand of the growing population.

    The company’s Chairman, Mr. John Coumantaros, said the forum was to appreciate the distributors for their unwavering loyalty and commitment in the past 54 years which has seen Golden Penny brands remain the number one family’s choice in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) segment in Nigeria.

    Coumantaros said the customers of new brands that would be introduced into the market during the year. He reiterated the company’s plan to make Golden Penny brands the first choice for consumers by meeting the needs of all age groups in Nigeria and West Africa.

    Mega Food Basket Distributors were rewarded with mouth-watering gifts ranging from Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), overseas trips, to the latest 4K Smart TVs.

  • NERC moves to cap billing for unmetered customers

    • DISCOs: it’s legalising lawlessness

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) plans to cap the consumption that unmetered customers in a particular class could be billed for in a particular month.

    This is because the  Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) are relunctant to provide meters for their customers.

    But the distribution companies (DISCOs) have kicked against the move, arguing that it amounts to legalising lawlessness on the part of customers.

    An official of the Commission, Mr. Shittu Shaibu, who spoke yesterday during a public consultation in Abuja, said the capping measure “ is aimed at incentivising the Discos to accelerate their metering to guarantee their revenue collection.”

    He said the shortfall would encourage faster metering and improvement in revenue in the long run.

    NERC, according to Shaibu, is not satisfied with the present position of metering, where as large as 44.06 per cent of all registered customers is not effectively metered.

    Responding to the presentation, the Executive Director, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Mr. Abimbola Odubiyi, said  the operators were apprehensive that the Credited Advance Programme for Metering Implementation  (CAPMI ) may not meet their revenue requirements.

    To him, it is not the intention of the Discos to over bill customers lamenting that the firms are even losing revenue due to under-billing of the consumers.

    Asking for time for the operators to correct the anomaly which he said was inherited by all the Discos, he noted that the Commission is asking the customers not to pay their bills.

    He argued that “estimated billing is estimated billing,” no matter how NERC presents it to the stakeholders.

    Odubiyi described what  NERC is  trying to do as “legalising a wrongful act. You recently approved estimated billing . But you are now discriminating between those who have meters and those who have no meters.

    “You are telling consumers to waste power without commensurate payment: telling them you don’t need meters. You are increasing our commercial loses.”

    Speaking, the NERC chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi urged the firms to provide meters to their customers if the ceiling option is too difficult for them to cope with.

    Some customers advocated that there should be no billing without meters, noting that metering market could be deregulated since the DISCOs are reluctant to provide meters.

    But Amadi who agreed that the deregulation was a possibility explained that it would lead to adjusting the tariff to reflect the metering acquisition cost. He also explained that the no meter, no billing method would affect investment in the electricity market.

     

  • FCMB rewards customers at promo

    The first draws of the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited promo tagged, ‘’FCMB Millionaire Promo’’ has held across  the three regions and 25 zones of the bank in the country.

    Three customers of the bank were rewarded with N1million each at the regional draws in Lagos, Enugu and Abuja; a total of 640 others smiled home with LED televisions, generating sets, decoders, tablets, smart phones and other consolation prizes at the zonal draws in different parts of the country.

    The exercise was conducted through electronic selection.

    At the Lagos/Southwest Regional draw in Lagos, Mr. Emeka Eze got  N1million, while at the Abuja/North Regional draw in Abuja, Mr. Chinedu Okpara, received the same amount; Mrs. Rita Okoye won N1million at the Southeast/Southsouth Regional draw in Enugu.

    The FCMB Millionaire Promo, which started in February, will run till July. It is targeted the bank’s savings account customers. The eligible products/accounts for the promo include FCMB basic savings, kids account, Nairawise, e-savings, premium savings and third party accounts.

    The Senior Vice President/Divisional Head of Retail of FCMB, Mr. Olu Akanmu, said customer of the bank needs to do is to save N10,000 in a savings account for 30 days to qualify for the selection. To be won, is the star prize of N1million and others. Multiple savings of N10,000 will increase chances.

    To qualify for the grand finale in August, where three customers will each receive N5million, customers are to save N50,000 in a savings accounts for 30 days. Multiple savings of N50,000 increases their chances.

    Akanmu said: “We are excited to once again reward our customers for their patronage and loyalty. Our customers are the reason FCMB exists and as a bank that is committed to continually satisfy their needs. The Millionaire Promo is to further show appreciation to existing and potentials customers by expanding the reward opportunities that the promo offers them. We are happy that the first sets of winners have emerged.”

    He added: “We encourage all our customers to partake in this exercise, because it is an avenue for economic empowerment’’.

  • Konga excites customers with ‘Found on Konga’ campaign

    TO satisfy customers as well as ease their online shopping experience, Konga, Nigeria’s largest online mall, has launched a new campaign called #FoundOnKonga to flaunt the over 150,000 products in its stock and demonstrate its claim of having the largest pool of products in the online mall segment in Nigeria.

    The campaign enriches the lifestyle of shoppers and makes their dreams of finding any item they need on the site come through, irrespective of the uncommonness of the item.

    Gabriel Gab-Umoden, Konga’s Vice-President, Marketing, informed that the campaign is to show young aspirational Nigerians that everything they need to live their dream lifestyle could be ‘Found on Konga’, no matter how uncommon the item is.

    According to him: “The objective of the campaign is to get the fans of Konga and the general public to embrace the ease that comes with shopping on a platform that gives them access to everything they need to achieve their dreams and live their dream lifestyle.”

    Gab-Umoden informed that a lot of Konga’s customers are already identifying with the campaign as Don Jazzy and Tiwa Savage, two of Nigeria’s biggest artistes recently signed by Konga as ambassadors for the online mall, are at the forefront of the campaign and will appear in all the ‘Found on Konga’ communication materials scheduled to be launched soon.

    As part of the campaign, the celebrity ambassadors, Don Jazzy and Tiwa Savage have started generating some social media buzz, with tweets and posts about the interesting and amazing things they have ‘Found on Konga’, and recruiting their fans into the fun movement. Just a few days into the campaign, #FoundonKonga has been a number one twitter trend in Nigeria.

    Head PR and Brand Management for Konga, Olatomiwa Akande, said: “The campaign is designed to create a community of shoppers who would prefer a one-stop online mall for everything they need to going the extra mile in sourcing the various items they need from multiple online sites.  It goes to exemplify to our customers that with Konga, you can find just any item you desire.”

  • Customers protest poor power supply, workers’ conduct

    Customers protest poor power supply, workers’ conduct

    NO fewer than 300 residents of Papa Ashafa, Dopemu and Orile-Agege in Lagos yesterday stormed the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company’s Headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja, to protest against its workers’ conduct.

    They also complained about poor power supply.

    The protesters chanted “Solidarity forever, we shall fight for our rights”, and “All we are saying, give us constant light”. They carried placards with inscriptions: “We are tired of using candles and local lantern”; “Say no to the use of rechargeable lantern”; ‘We need power supply at low rate”; “No more estimated or coded bills,’ and “No light-no pay”, among others.

    The protest attracted passersby, some of who hailed the protesters.

    The protesters demanded to know why the company breached its agreement with them during their last protest.

    It was learnt that the residents agreed to pay N4,000 monthly on each house because of the poor condition of their metres until they are repaired or replaced with prepaid metres.

    The residents also demanded the reconnection of light to some areas, replacement of worn-out cables and transformers, and the cancellation of what they called “crazy” bills.

    Coordinator, Youth Alliance for Better Nigeria Adegoke Moruf Niniola said the protest was to show their displeasure with the firm’s services.

    He urged the firm to stop billing customers for the electricity they did not consume.

    Moricass Youth and Elders Forum National Chairman Aderemi Adeyemo accused the firm of favouring industrial consumers, describing the development as worrisome. He appealed to the company to ensure that its workers are trained on how to do their jobs without bias.

    The IKEDC Area Controller, Mr Dare Oyedotun, praised the residents for the peaceful protest, saying most of the problems were caused by low power transmission.

    He said solution would soon be found for “crazy” bills, promising to fish out those using electricity illegally.

     

  • May & Baker rewards customers

    The management of May & Baker Nigeria Plc has assured its customers that it will continue to value their input and feedback in the decision-making process of the company.

    Managing Director, May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okafor, gave this assurance at the company’s Customers’ Forum.

    According to him, the company revived the yearly National Customers’ Forum not only to reward outstanding performance but to engender better intimacy with and obtain feedback from its customers.

    He, therefore, enjoined the customers to share their experiences in dealing with the company with a view to getting grey areas resolved.

    At the event the company distributed various forms of largesse to distributors and wholesalers who showed outstanding loyalty through their patronage of her products in 2014.

    Apart from the gifts, the customers were taken on a facility tour of the World Health Organisation (WHO) GMP-certified pharmaceutical plant at Ota where the customers were taken through the production process at the world class  edifice.

    The company also used the occasion to interact closely with customers and exchange thoughts on service improvement and plans for  the year. A special business management workshop was conducted to enable the customers learn new techniques that would help them to manage their businesses better.

    The occasion also presented a platform for the unveiling of seven of the company’s new products’ packs that were launched to the market.

    The activities of the day strengthened the customers’ commitments to its target agreements.

     

  • Resort Savings woos customers

    Resort Savings and Loans Plc has instituted a reward-system for all customers that maintain a certain minimum balance in their accounts over a period of time.

    Head, Business Development, Resort Savings and Loans Plc , Mr Yemi Popoola, made this known  during a chat with reporters in Lagos on the bank’s efforts at putting smiles on the faces of its teeming customers.

    According to him, the bank has over time introduced numerous customer-friendly products while the reward system is the bank’s own way of giving back to its customers.

    “Our customer base is growing by the day and a lot of people are getting to identify with us. The only way we can make them have a sense of belonging is to ensure that they are not only rewarded for banking with us, but also for introducing other customers to all mortgage related products,” Popoola said.

    He outlined that the reward-system will recognize customers who open Resort Reward System Account and build up team by introducing other customers to open accounts with the mortgage bank.

    He added that introducing new customers automatically qualifies the facilitating customer to become a team leader while the people introduced become his team members.

    “As a team leader you get paid monthly interest on the balances in the account of your team members. The larger your team account balances the higher the reward amount paid to you. Team members can also be elevated as leaders as they introduce customers,” Popoola explained.

    The gift to the customers will be commensurate with the balances maintained in their accounts with the mortgage bank. A customer who maintains a minimum balance of N100, 000 for instance will definitely get rewarded more than those with lower balances. The beauty of this reward system is that all customers will get rewarded so far they maintain a minimum balance over a period of time.

    He encouraged customers of the bank to make inquiries at every branch of the bank to know what will accrue to them depending on how much they want to maintain in the bank as their minimum balance.

    He observed that the banking culture in Nigeria is improving by the day noting however that there is enough room for improvement in the mortgage sector of the economy.

    “Gradually Nigerians are embracing the banking culture but we believe we are still largely under-banked. So many people are still not using the bank and that is why we think a reward system where people get rewarded for banking with us will attract more customers and make them have a sense of belonging. We also believe a reward system will also make customers know that we care for them,” Popoola said.

     

  • Tension in Bayelsa as banks lock out customers

    There was tension yesterday in some parts of Bayelsa State, especially, Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Many people did not open  their business premises. Roads were deserted as residents were glued to their television sets to hear the final verdict from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Banks were closed to customers, as people were advised to use ATMs.

    The banks claimed they had a security report that there would be violence if the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), wins.

    A bank official, who spoke in confidence, said the banks got a security report mandating them to close their branches because of tension in the state.

    A top security source confirmed that security operatives had been put on the alert.

    He added that security agencies had taken measures to heighten security around major oil facilities and pipelines.

    “There were insinuations that if President Goodluck Jonathan loses, aggrieved persons will register their grievances by violent protest. But security agencies have been put on the alert about a possible breach of the peace,” he said.

  • Sterling Bank rewards customers

    Sterling Bank rewards customers

    The six winners of the Sterling Bank Gunners Promo who emerged at the fourth Gunners Promo held at the weekend will have the opportunity of an all-expense paid trip to watch the home match involving Arsenal Football Club and Chelsea on April 26.

    Disclosing this to newsmen after the fourth draw of the promo held over the weekend, the bank’s Group Head, Strategy & Communications, Mr. Shina Atilola said this was in line with the promise made by the Bank at the commencement of the Promo last September.

    This, he said, brings to 24, the number of lucky winners that have emerged in the four draws held. The next draw holding in April will produce another set of six winners bringing the total number of winners to 30, even as he disclosed that the Bank came up with the promo to reward customers for their loyalty.

    The promo, which kicked off in September 2014, runs till May 2015, with winners emerging on monthly draws to be held during the duration of the promo. The promo is designed to reward customers for their patronage and loyalty to the brand over the years in keeping with the Brand’s promise of putting customers first

    The six lucky winners are Kehinde Abdullahi Ademola, Sakariyau Adeleke Mustapha, Ignatius Peace Nnah and Adeleke Zainab Idowu. Others are Chinyere Okechukwu and Eludinni Taiwo Kemi. An elated Kehinde who spoke with the “Femi & The Gang” crew that covered the event live for Nigerian Info commended the Bank for keeping to its promise.

  • Stallion NMN woos customers with new facility

    Stallion NMN, authorised Nissan sales company has inaugurated another multimillion billion naira 3S (sales, spares and service) facility in Victoria Island,  Lagos to provide one-stop shopping convenience to customers.

    The new facility which is coming barely two years since the Nissan franchise was re-launched in Nigeria between Nissan Motor Company and renowned West African business conglomerate, Stallion Group would allow customers to see a more complete line-up of Nissan vehicles.

    The third in the series after the Gbagada in Lagos and Abuja showrooms, the Stallion NMN Victoria Island facility would not only help in discerning patrons evaluate their favourite Nissan models but ensure a faster and efficient service for their existing vehicles.

    Managing Director Stallion NMN Parvir Singh said the construction of the new Nissan facility is in line with business expansion plan to provide a higher level of customer satisfaction through integrated facility and enhanced hospitality.

    He said the project was part of the company’s core strategies of delivering world-class customer experience and asserting Nissan’s increasing potential in Nigeria’s automobile market.

    Describing Nigerian market as significant to Nissan’s cardinal objective to meet global corporate identity for quality service and customer satisfaction, Singh said: “Nissan’s global objective has conveyed the responsibility of repositioning and enhancing Nissan’s influence in Nigeria on Stallion NMN.”

    The facility, he stated, will create an improved atmosphere for quality experience and enhanced customers’ interactive relationship with the Nissan brand. Modern and spacious, the showroom is built to standard with theatre-like display arena and a cantilever exhibition platform on the second floor capable of holding up to 10 vehicles at a time with a quick service facility, canteen, offices and conference room.

    Also incorporating Nissan’s latest Retail Visual Identity, customers can view their cars from the comfort of the customer lounge and enjoy facilities such as coffee bar, wide-screen TV and Wifi service.

    The entire showroom offers ample vehicle display area with an entrance portal fitted with automatic doors on the ground floor and an imposing Nissan badge behind the reception desk that guardedly welcomes the customer.

    There is also ambience and spacious climate-controlled reception area with comfortable customer lounge and amenities that makes this showroom one of its kinds.

    Singh said the essence of the features is to enhance customers’ experience and uphold Nissan corporate identity while making ownership of any Nissan vehicle an enjoyable experience.