Let's Agree to do Something about it

[C Chileshe]

Dear Zambia,

Like many other countries, Zambia has various mechanisms that can help ensure that the financial sector is held accountable.

The one major obstucle is the mind-set of the citizens.

1. We do not rally behind a cause for long enough to see results.We are so short-termist that if "things don't work quickly, they are not worth pursuing"

2. Zambians also tend to be very individualistic or, at best, focus on "me and my household".

I am reading all these complaints and wondering, "if they are so many (and not just those directed at ZANACO), why are the problems still there?! If many clients in the sector have had all these challanges, is it possible for nothing to have been done about them?

Well, it is possible for nothing to be done if problems are being presented only at individual level. There is need for agreement to work together and influence change. There is strength in numbers. And there is need for committment towards seeing things to their natural conclusion.

Maybe this is too much to ask a Zambian? Would we rather settle for complaining and feel good after doing so? Does that make the problem go away?

I have worked with financial sectors of a few countries in the region and also realise that the financial sector in Zambia is going through a lot of change (a lot of it very positive).

But I can also tell you that the one missing element in all this has been citizen participation. We have done very little to inform developments in the sector. We have been very happy to watch banks and products come up and have embraced whatever is thrown at us. That's not how it was meant to be. That's not how it is in the countries just next do to ours.

We owe it to our dear Zambia to do something about it. What will we tell the next generation when asked "where were you when things were getting out of hand?"?

Does anybody read me?

[Michelle N.]

i read you!i read you..hmm will think on this..

[Amora]

I totally agree.

[Pragmatist]

I totally agree with you Chileshe!
Since you are the one who has birthed this idea, please suggest how we should go about organising ourselves. Form an a consumers’ association perhaps? Any ideas out there ladies and gentlemen??

[Makaveli]

I feel you sir,that's a brilliant way to start correcting things.I suggest we appoint someone to obtain email adresses for these companys then copy complaints from this site then flood them.Example,we have had a number of complaints with ZANACO right,lets find someone to provide us with the customer care departmental email address(especially head of dept) then copy ALL complaints from this site regarding ZANACO and forward.I guess that way they will read our fury.Do they even visit such sites as this?

[Jade]

Makavelli,

Thats a brilliant idea. I actually have been forwading complaints from this site to respective places (companies). Its unfortunate these companies are not as proactive as the MD of Rhapsody's. This site is the best that has happened in zed, lets hope we continue doing what we are doing: letting the Zambian public know who is the best and the worst.

[Guest]

If we can only keep the objective in mind, we can achieve a lot. Efforts such as the one we may be conceiving often lose direction after some successes are scored and things begin to get exciting. We must have clear focus and allow anything else to be addressed by other vehicles (which we, as individuals, can still be part of).

I see our overall objective as being something like:

"To ensure that issues arising from financial service delivery are adequately and speedily addressed". (Someone can help improve on the English in the above sentence.)

This objective will have various aspects to it, including:

1. Getting the issues to the right offices

(this may be an office in the "offending institution" or other offices that has the ability to address the issue. Thanks to those that have forwarded the complaints. I actually did the same last week. I was assured something would be done and a response could be put on dearzambia)

2. Obtaining (from the relevant office) speedy feedback and committment to addressing the issue

( i.e acknowledgement of reciept of complaint, indication of action to be taken and timeframes required, agreement on expected result of such action, etc)

3. Respective offices to incorporate at least some of the suggestions/thoughts/proposed solutions (and possibly the complainants) into the process intended to address the complaint

(ideally, the complainant should be involved in addressing the problem. It is rather unhelpful to focus on the problem without offering solutions and participating in implementation. Participation may actually help the complainant appreciate some of the operating realities behind the issue)

4. Disserminating successful results and recorgnition of offices that have responded well towards addressing complaints

(e.g such as the Rhapsody's & its MD. Such need to be profiled so that they are encouraged by the positive publicity & and the resultant growth in business)

There should be other aspects that can fall under the objective. We can probably add a few, but we may not want to have so many that we fail to work with them. So, any more aspects?

The initiative can get off the ground even before we decide on the appropriate organisational vehicle it can ride in. It can initially simply be a project driven by concerned users of particular services. Most important is to keep in mind the purpose of the initiative. The vehicle it rides in may become clearer with a bit of time.

As mentioned by Jade and Makaveli, a mechanism of forwarding complaints, getting feedback (preferably posted on dearzambia) and recorgnising effort needs to get started. I propose that a small team be picked to co-ordinate this. It may be too much for one person. I propose Jade & Makaveli. Any seconder?

A name for the initiative would be a good idea. Any suggestions?

Agreement on some kind of "code of ethics" may also be important so that we can stay within an agreed framework (e.g types of issues, language to be used, etc).

I hope this is helpful.

Let's keep talking . . .

[Makaveli]

Ok ,am in.but what exactly is my role here?

[Guest]

Sorry for the delay.

We need you to collect complaints pertaining to one institution. So you can cut and past complaints for one institution onto a word document. You also need to ensure the complaints are not just jumbled up. They need to be sorted according to what the issues are. So you can think of different issues like

1. Poor Front Office Service
2. Faulty ATMs
3. Wrong Transactions on Customer Account
4. Etc

We then need to agree as to who the complaints should be presented to at the institution. Then you will follow up with that particular person to get feedback (or the lack of it) and keep us posted.

Though you may be responsible for this, give us a shout when you need someone to chip in and help or you need ideas.

How is that, Makaveli?

[Makaveli]

Sorry I was out and offline.
ok no problem.but coz of limited time,I will be doing that only once a week and thats sunday afternoons.which email must I be forwarding this ms-word document to?and wen am i supposed to start?

[Tasha]

Makaveli,

Please allow me to say something off the subject.

In astronomy, they say witnessing the birth of a star or a planet is one or the rarest of rare celestial events. Here on earth, a similarly rare event is to witness the transformation of a contemptuous hoodlum, scoundrel and outlaw into a civilized citizen. And here we are today, we are witnesses to this very rare event. And you are that former contemptuous hoodlum, scoundrel and outlaw.

[C Chileshe]

I think it is good to start from this sunday.

Step one would be to sort them out into the different banks and then into the different issues.

We then need to start thinking about who to send to at each bank. I think the Bank websites have contact e-mail addresses for sending customer complaints. But I actually think it might be a good idea to send to also copy the CEOs of the same banks.

The challange will be to get responses, even if it is initially an indication of how long it will take for them to look into the issues.

If anyone knows someone in any of these banks, this may be helpful. We can copy in these same people even if they are not in customer care. They can help in obtaining responses.

Let's start and see how it goes.

I am happy to help with contacts at the banks

[C Chileshe]

I think it is good to start from this sunday.

Step one would be to sort them out into the different banks and then into the different issues.

We then need to start thinking about who to send to at each bank. I think the Bank websites have contact e-mail addresses for sending customer complaints. But I actually think it might be a good idea to send to also copy the CEOs of the same banks.

The challange will be to get responses, even if it is initially an indication of how long it will take for them to look into the issues.

If anyone knows someone in any of these banks, this may be helpful. We can copy in these same people even if they are not in customer care. They can help in obtaining responses.

Let's start and see how it goes.

I am happy to help with contacts at the banks

[Ba Mwisho]

Guys how far have we gone with our suggestions?Come on people we can do this if we work together.Makaveli where are you my brother?Lets not leave the the idea to die just like this,it was a wonderful step towards turning service and goods up to higher levels in Zambia.
any fresh volunteers out there?

[Chileshe]

Does this tell us something about ourselves (Zambians). If we had stuck to complaining, there would have been lots of hits. Now that we have moved to doing something about it, things have gone quiet.

Am I reading this correctly? Can someone please tell me if I am wrong? I would actualy really wish to be wrong!

[Ba Mwisho]

Am equally disappointed with OURSELVES.after deciding to do something about it,then suddenly we decide to do nothing about the doing something.too much NATO mentallity in Zambia.
(No Action,Talk Only)

[Makaveli]

Hello wonderful citizens,
firstly am so sorry for NOT keeping my promise about perfoming my assigned task.
Instead of going blah blah blah explaining my lame & stupid excuses,let me get to the point and straight away confirm that I WILL NOT be able to carry out my agreed role.Sorry again for letting you down.
Stay blessed people!

[Goodsheet]

Makaveli boyi,

I tried to tell these people that Makaveli will chicken out and never fulfill his supposed obligations on this matter. But I think many people cast doubt on my prophesy.

I practically pleaded with these people asking them not to place their trust in that Makaveli because he will disappoint them at the most crucial time when their hopes were so high. But to no avail.

I warned them that if they have a task to be done and they want to assign it to a reliable person, Makaveli should never even be on the long list of possible considerations for that task. Even if that long list were 7,030,766,864 (current total world population, according to the World Population Clock at the University of North Carolina) long, Makaveli's name should never be on that list! But I think most people still thought I was a quack.

I am glad now this issue can be put to rest once and for all. I mean the issue confirming that Goodsheet is indeed a prophet.

[Makaveli]

Goodsheet,
it is a matter of LIMITED TIME in my day.and not that I have chickened out.by the way I have started a job as a part-time packer at shoprite.you may say its not a good job,but its wat I have attached to it that is important - responsibility,hardwork and discipline.in short its not about the money or title.
Thank you

[Goodsheet]

yo ka Makaveli,

Go on and do your sheet. I got no quarrel with that.

You still a chicken though. You shouda never gotten involved with these nice, respectable pipoz and made them think even for a minute, that you are up to the task. That is a no-no, in high society. Although I recognize in the world you and I inhabit, cheating and chickening out is pretty much considered the norm. Just don’t mislead these nice, gentlemanly pipoz no more, will you? Thanks.