EcoSure clients cry foul

ECOSURE subscribers yesterday accused Econet of short-changing them saying the company was failing to give them their money upon bereavement as agreed.

Speaking in Bulawayo during a meeting with burial societies that subscribe to EcoSure, subscribers said they were being unfairly treated by Econet despite paying their monthly subscriptions on time.

They said it was not fair that after making contributions timeously, the company fails to meet its side of the bargain.

"Here we are being unfairly treated. We pay on time but when we are bereaved and we want our money their (EcoSure) agents tell us there is no money. We are being taken for a ride, they must rectify this situation as soon as possible," fumed one subscriber identified as Mr Moyo.

Another client who identified herself as Miss Noreen Khabo said EcoSure funeral policy should have good relations with clients or stop implementing a policy that benefits them alone at the expense of contributors.

"They (EcoSure) now come with policies without even consulting us. They now say if one pays after the grace period of the 10th of the following month the payments are deemed null. But when we joined during its introduction they did not tell us that," said Miss Khabo.

Mr Tinashe Temera said EcoSure was giving them a tough time as the policies that they implement only favour them because people would be paying and the customers would be denied service as agreed.

Another participant, a Mr Mathonsi, said the quality of service being given by EcoSure had damaged the trust between them and the service provider.

In response, head of sales EcoCash and EcoSure, Mr Learnmore Masunda, said the problems around benefits to bereaved members were a result of a cash crisis in the country which was not unique to Econet.

He pledged that the firm would work things out to make sure that their customers do not feel short changed.

"We are in a cash crisis as a country. This is not an Econet problem only but our problem. People are failing to cash-out their money at our agents but we will try by all means that the bereaved members of that burial society can get the money and I can assure you that if it means calling those agents in Gwanda I can do that so that the affected members get the money to bury their loved ones," said Mr Masunda.