Gambia’s Leading GSM Company GAMCEL Sells Expired Scratch Cards To Customers!!!

….SCRATCH CARDS SCAM ABOUT TO CAUSE UNREST IN GAMBIA

By Staff Writer Peter Johnson, Banjul.

Gambia’s leading GSM provider GAMCEL is selling expired phone cards, which is known as “ scratch cards” to its customers, aggrieved customers claimed.  Among the expired scratch cards being sold out to the public include: the D20, D50 and D100 dalasi cards respectively. A significant number of GAMCEL customers have been affected by the expired scratch scam. Ragging customers have accused the company of economic exploitation.

GAMCEL officials are yet to respond to customers complaints. The company still sells the expired scratch cards to the public. One of the affected GAMCEL customers Alhagie Kebbeh said he bought a D100 scratch card, only to be told by the computer automated system that his card was expired. A frustrated looking Mr. Kebbeh said a close friend of his loaned him the D100 dalasi, which he says was wasted on expired GAMCEL scratch cards. 

Like other affected customers, Kebbeh said he went to GAMCEL’S customer care center with the hope of being compensated, but his request to be reissued with a valid scratch card was turned down. Kebbeh left GAMCEL with shock and bitter frustration. He says something needs to be done to redress the problem.

Another GAMCEL customer Ebrima Njie said the expired scratch scam is likely to harm GAMCEL’S reputation as a leading GSM provider. "We are urging the management and staff of GAMCEL  to arrest the situation” said Ebrima Njie a resident of Farafenni.

The expired scratch problem is creating an unrest in some parts of the country. Angry customers are giving hard time to  local GAMCEL dealers. Police had to intervene in one of the incidents, as angry customers were posed to upset the peace. They strongly protested the sale of expired scratch cards by local GAMCEL dealers.

The local dealers have in turn blamed the main parent company GAMCEL for putting them in such a mess. The dealers said they do not order scratch cards and therefore it “ is wrong” for the public to blame them. They say GAMCEL orders all scratch cards that comes into this country and not local dealers.

Almost everyone here has been affected by the expired scratch card problem. Local business owners also ragging over GAMCEL’S inability to arrest the situation.

Disgruntled customers stormed the GAMCEL head quarters in Kanifing on a daily basis, demanding to be compensated. GAMCEL blames the problem to network difficulty, but customers refused to buy their story.

This reporter made numerous efforts to reach GAMCEL officials for comments, but to no avail. The company’s marketing manager was indisposed for comments.