Online Reporter
Your Money, Your Call
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba
Mobile money was meant to make life easier. It promised speed, convenience and access, especially for those long excluded from traditional banking.
Yet for many users today, it has become a source of stress, confusion and financial loss.
A growing number of customers are reporting a troubling pattern of remittances that are reversed, but never refunded, dispute forms that vanish into thin air and systems that mysteriously “go down” just when accountability is needed most.
One recent case exposes the cracks in the system.
A customer’s transaction was reversed, with the refund clearly showing on the platform. Instead of the money automatically returning to their account, they were told to fill out a dispute form.
Why?
If the system had already acknowledged the reversal, what was there to dispute?
Still, the form was submitted.
A pledge was made: “Your money will reflect in your account by next week.”
However, there was no refund within the promised time frame and even afterwards.
When the customer called to follow up on the matter, they were told there was no record of any dispute.
The advice?
Go back to the branch where the form was submitted. Perhaps, they said, “a different system” had been used.
At the branch, the staff confirmed the funds had been received.
However, the system was down, not just for a few hours.
Days passed with no resolution. There was no timeline for resolution of the issue. There were no clear answers, just vague reassurances and mounting frustration.
This is not an isolated incident.
Across communities, similar stories are surfacing. Customers are beginning to ask hard questions: Are these delays just technical glitches? Is something deeper at play, something that puts people’s money and trust at risk?
For many families, remittances are not optional, they are essential.
They are for payment of school fees, medication and groceries. A delayed refund can mean a child sent home from school, a patient turned away from a clinic or a family going without requisites.
These are not inconveniences, they are emergencies. What is most disturbing is the lack of transparency.
Customers are left chasing their own money, referred from call centres to branches, and given conflicting information. They are treated as if they are the problem.
The burden of proof falls on them, while institutions hide behind broken systems and vague procedures.
This is not just poor service, it is a breach of trust. And it raises serious questions about consumer protection, oversight and ethics. Who is watching these platforms? Who ensures dispute forms do not disappear? Who speaks for the customer when systems fail?
It is time for answers.
Customers deserve more than apologies. They deserve functioning systems, honest communication and processes that respect their time and dignity.
If mobile money is to remain central to our economy, it must be built on trust — not frustration.
The silence must end. The excuses must stop. And the systems must be fixed!
When refunds become a gamble, the entire financial ecosystem is at risk.
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing and customer service consultant, customer experience columnist, and sales and service trainer. Contact details: [email protected] or +263712979461, 0719978335, 0772978335, www.customersuccess.co.zw
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter