Over the years, the Nigerian banking system has undergone major evolution in their ways and manners of operations with major CBN reforms restructuring the entire system for better efficiency.
Also, with the speedy digitization of financial services, Nigerian banks have created online platforms for the commencement and completion of financial transactions. However, the positives brought by this development is often overshadowed by several challenges chief of which is network glitches which interfere with transactions causing real-time losses and inconvenience to customers.
Zenith Bank is one of Nigeria’s leading banks according to capital and customer base. According to Global Finance Magazine’s Best Banks Awards 2022, it is currently adjudged as the Best bank in Nigeria.
This bank which is a major player in Nigeria’s banking sector has however been experiencing series of issues on its online banking platforms with numerous customers across the country complaining of a number of challenges ranging from poor network quality, unaccountable debits, Un reflected credits etc.
According to an investigation by TheNigeriaLawyer, these issues have persisted since last December and customers have continued to wail at losses of various types suffered as a result of the continued failure of the bank’s online banking system.
It was also observed that the bank has also failed to run an active and responsive customer care unit as all the channels provided for complaints online were most times not responsive to complaints made by customers online.
This ha resulted in customers picketing their social media pages, and expressing their grievances on their comment sections.
On its Twitter handle @ZenithBank, TheNigeriaLawyer observed several complaints from customers of the bank with different experiences with the bank’s problematic services.
One customer, @Lanrie22 said:
“some money was sent to my account last night, till now the money is on ledger balance and still not available on account this so sad, you bank can’t be used to receive money during emergency, pls do something”
Another customer @Alphalady98 wrote: “Pls I made a transfer to my zenith bank and its showing in my ledger . I need my money ASAP”
@wizdam4 complained: “I won’t get tired of dragging u guys, you will credit my money. Used our money for trades and don’t want to return”
Another customer @AghaAchonu complained about the POS Service of the bank. He said: “Hello zenith bank, I used a POS yesterday morning and it was declined two times, but you went ahead to debit me for the two unsuccessful transactions. Till now it has not returned back. Please help out because it’s becoming your culture”
As customers’ discontent continue to brew, it is yet to be seen how the bank’s management will handle the situation and address the looming concerns of its customers who are gradually losing faith in the bank going by their comments and remarks all over social media.
It is also imperative that regulators like the Central Bank and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council rise up to the occasion and protect the bank’s customers from what can be deemed as “exploitation” with respect to illegal deductions, uncompleted transactions etc which compromise the terms of the banker-customer relationship.
