“I have been using my Comium line for almost two years, I had never encountered a problem like this [the ongoing one] before,” says Sarjo Bah, a 2008 batch of graduate from the Muslim senior secondary school. “This is a mediocre problem that can be described as failure of Network,” he adds.
Sarjo who recently returned from Bansang in Central River Region (CRR) says during the month of June network failure gripped the town. He says the situation has not improved in any way, as of recent, between the hours of 7pm onwards no one is “benevolent enough to have access to Comium network,” saying many of his friends have bewailed about “this unfortunate system”.
“To be candid, I have been very comfortable with Comium, for they have been very innovative in freebies that are appealing to the masses, but [as of now] they are seemingly losing credibility. And as a poor consumer of the products they are rolling out, I am very particular with this situation,” Sarjo underscored.
I understand the competition is becoming increasingly tougher, especially with the influx of another GSM operator. This is an indication that the screws on the other operators were further tautened, he said.
Comium was the third GSM operator to enter the Gambian market in May 2007. Since then the GSM operator is making its way through the market. This is evident in Comium GPRS service that Sarjo admits using during one of his usual visits in the village around February last year.
“Do you believe that during my stay in Saradou – a village in Cassamace bordering Santanto Bubu in CRR - I used my Comium line to browse? I did it….and it was not a fiasco,” he said.
Sarjo and many of his friends, among them Ebrima, Boss and Sellou all admitted benefiting from Comium’s freebies in the past.
The announcement of free daily late-night calls – again the first in the country – and the availability of the conference call facility attracted a bigger number of customers, particularly youngsters – like Sarjo – many of whom spent their nights chatting with many friends at once and to their hearts content. Such was the impacts of these various developments on the company’s success, and Comium has used this as an impetus to attract customers.
In July 2009, Comium introduced “free Bonanza”. This system enabled customers to stay in the phone as long as 100 minutes, and it takes only D9 at the time. Later the cost scaled to D16 for the 100 minutes. However, from there, customers experienced another increase of D3. During that time, the process entirely changes: a deduction of D19 and a reward of only 1hour plus D20 credit from Comium to Comium. The last stroke that broke the camel’s back came few months ago, when the GSM operator started deducting D23 and giving out only 1hr with a usual D2. This somehow raised customers’ eyebrows.
As regards the ‘free Bonanza’ -- which virtually witnessed an increase in rate charges and decline in bonuses -- and the E-Voucher credit service – introduced lately--, they both have been helping the company amass a strong customer base. This has also enhanced constant communications within customers of the company. Moreover, by this, Comium has been able to grip vast clientele in the market. When Comium ‘free bonanza’ was initially introduced, many people moved quickly to buying credit and Comium lines.
“I used to buy credit on almost daily basis, but unfortunately the cool wind of night communication has turned from us [Comium]…especially at night,” said Ma-Ansu Jadama, a Toplink staff.
Jadama, who lives in Manjai Kunda said, since his phone got lost, he never bothers himself to renew his Comium line, knowing that “their network connection is poor during the entire night”.
“Sometimes you recharge credit and dial the 166 – which gives you the 1hr free call – you had to wait for longer than expected in order to get your dues back. Problems like that will no doubt shake up business transactions. Imagine if you are in an emergency situation?” he remarked.
He rhetorically asked, “If people in the city are complaining of Network failure, what will become the fate of those in the countryside?”
Yai Sainey Gaye, former Comium’s communication officer once said, “We are moving from being good to being better and there will definitely be a time when Comium will be the best in The Gambia.”
That was in late 2009, but what is the providence of Comium for this year of change – 2011. If the present scenario of Comium is ultimately decided, Mss Gaye’s comment must then be hanging in the balance of probability.
The “nationwide coverage” she claimed the company has, must not be doubted, when Sarjo – who normally travels to Saradou – said, “During the daytime, the Comium network is ok in that village – even though sometimes the Senegalese Orange conflicts with it.”
However, this failure is only happening at the hours of the night, but no reason has been advance as to what caused this nightly malfunctions.
In a burgeoning market for investors coupled with stiff competitions among GSM operators, unfortunate situations like this may weigh down the progress of the entity that falls within this catch-22.
Halifa Hydra, a key vendor of all types of credits residing in Dippa Kunda was among the oodles that added their voices to the enduring discussion on the GSM’s set of connections. For his part, he says he is not a subscriber of Comium, but has observed that the degree in which he sells credit has gone under the viaduct, saying, “The credit cards stay longer now than before.”
“I want to believe that selling the Comium credit was faster than selling other credits. However, this has declined and I never understand why, until when I meet you [MarketPlace] and you asked me about it. This is because I am not a Comium subscriber.”
The Mauritanian national refused to comment further on why he “believes” in that, but reserved to say, “May be it is determined by the environment in which I operate.”
In the surface of these claims and counter-claims, there are loyal customers who vowed not to turn their backs from Comium. They have their own take on the matter.
“It is only through Comium I can stay longer in the phone with almost all my brothers in Dingiring [Upper River Region]. I do call there endlessly and partake in mediating conflicts within family members. I know technology has change the world, but Comium also has helped change lives in The Gambia,” said Bahoreh Sumareh, a youth from Dingiring.
Comium has triumphed in bridging the language barrier of its base of clientele; this is why anyone is free to call and be attended to. However, are the customer care agents able to solve the technical problem – which is not because of the line? The answer will ultimately be paradoxical.
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