My first and Last Flight on Aero Contractors. On one fateful Sunday evening, I was contemplating arrangements for my journey back home from Benin Republic by road to Lagos airport (mma2), where I would board a flight to Abuja. While trying to book online the network was frustrating as it kept flunctuating, “don’t ask me who the network provider is”. I however managed to connect to flyearo, after which i scanned through the flights. I settled for the next coming Sunday 27th, October, 2013, flight AJ 129. My dad advised me not to fly aero because of the usual delay reputation they earned and have so far succeeded in defending the title (defending champions). All his effort to get me not to fly aero fell on a defiant ear. How I wished I listened to his wise counsel. But as the saying goes experience is the best teacher. On yet another fateful Sunday I began my journey, leaving Benin as early as 7am in a bid to reach the airport on time. I was at Egbeda junction around 9am when I received a text message that my flight had been rescheduled to 6pm. More than halfway through my journey I couldn’t turn back, rather I decided to go and patiently wait. I arrived at the airport 11am. The advantage of the situation I found myself was that; (i) it gave me time to reflect on consequences of decisions and (II) I made a lot of friends at the airport. After about six hours delay, aero-contractors staff began serving refreshment at the terminal. One despondent looking cake and a disposable plastic cup of juice, that they decided to start giving freely. At past times they customarily sell refreshment on board, “anything you want name it “bear, sandwich, doughnut puff puff’. Don’t worry if you have 1000naira they have enough change in their belt purse”. However, before the refreshment got to me there was a boarding call, it was already 7pm. The serving of refreshment was halted. I patiently queued for boarding. Reaching the gate, I was asked for my I.D card. My pockets being filled with atm cards, wallets, keys, and recharge cards that I never got to load because of low battery as a product of the delay. I was struggling to bring out the ID card out of my pocket when the attendant rudely asked me to stop wasting his time. Trust me now! I blasted him and left the impression of a rabble-rouser for the remainder of the flight. Weeks later I received news update from premiumtimesng about passengers of aero contractors being stranded at the airport. Stranded to such extent some spent the night there. As the captain in his argument said he was not detailed to fly to lagos from Abuja, ‘tah! Can you imagine “tashin hankali”’’. Some passengers slept on the floor, while some were asked by soldiers to relocate from one setting to the other like a refugee. I can only imagine the horror these passengers went through, especially for the white man visiting Nigeria for the first time. There is a deliquency, that’s needs to be addressed. The airline companies need to be held responsible as compensations and penalties should be evident. It’s a starting sense. Telecommunications Not that I am hard to please, but there seems to be a certain degree in laxity and exploitation of Nigerians when it comes to delivery of service and treatment by service providers most notably telecommunication and Aero contractors for the benefit of the matter at hand. I as a consumer have rights as to the “whats” and “fors” I have paid my hard earned money to enjoy. What becomes a problem is when I begin to get what I did not bargain for. The telecommunications services are fond of changing terms of service arrangement without notification. Starting a day with dozens of sms from service providers is enough frustration when you try to filter your inbox as regards to what is relevant and what is not. To complicate matters they place a call to you with an alien number and begin to advertise and market products. It is my right and privacy as a person to decide not to give anybody my phone number. If this is the case, why then should they call me? Who gave them the audacity to call my number?, don’t I have that right?. If others are gratified with them calling, I am not and I want to say for the record that I did not at any point subscribe to anyone infringing on my privacy and peace, be it the service provider or anyone. Some also cross the boundary in assigning a caller tune, which in some disciplines is offensive. I consequently ask again who gave them the right to assign a caller tune to “me number” and charge me?, without prior consent. This is very unfair and excessive. There is benefit to establishment of the Consumer Protection Council, and where this structure fails to achieve the desired purpose it is no longer pertinent. The need for this structure to work is expendable in the bid to correct these unholy practices By Ibrahim Zakari
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 08:17:32 +0000
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