Japheth Omojuwa: Consumer power – New media is the kingmaker (YNaija Frontpage)

Change has never really been about big things and events, it has always been about seemingly small events amplified to immeasurable proportions. Rosa Park only sat in a bus. The chain reaction of her insistence has not stopped till today.

The world has changed and is changing at an increasing rate. Power used to be in the hands of a few, but thanks to technology, power is now in the hands of more people. My experience with an airline over my ipad showed me many things I never even thought possible. At the end of the day, if Nigerian service providers are not ready to crown consumers king, consumers by themselves must know that the crown is in their hands.

I was at the office of one of the telcos recently to fix a bad SIM card. I filled a form and handed it over to the lady who was going to attend to me. As soon as she saw the name on my form, her comportment visibly changed. She asked if I was “the Omojuwa” and I acted as though I didn`t understand her question. She looked at my names again, checked her phone and would not be fooled. She knew who I was and was very much in tune with my new media presence. Let me just say the service she rendered to me is the best I have received from any Nigerian office this year.

Why did that happen? Disincentives!

She understood that a misstep could land her and her company in trouble. She knew that I could leave that place and have her employers trending for the wrong reasons if she treated me wrongly. Of course I shared the sweet experience on my timeline. Since the issue of my ipad, I know of at least three incidents of returned ipads. Why are ipads suddenly being found at the airport? Disincentives! There are now more risks involved in toying with passengers’ goods.

Until I made an issue of my lost ipad on twitter, the top echelon of the company in question were not even aware let alone get involved. Left to the members of staff, mine was not an issue, a foregone conclusion. Nothing was going to happen. They were wrong. Many things have since happened and a lot of things will happen. I understand some people will not like my style but that is what works for me. It is only an ipad some would say but then that ipad is having far more effects in ensuring passengers don’t lose their goods than all the useless legislations against theft. Service providers now know that there are risks involved with maltreating customers no matter how seemingly ordinary they look. All customers are equal would be their mantra henceforth.

Whatever ends up with my ipad’s issue for instance, I am absolutely certain that my efforts will at least force good and respectable service from other businesses. Change has never really been about big things and events, it has always been about seemingly small events amplified to immeasurable proportions. Rosa Park only sat in a bus. The chain reaction of her insistence has not stopped till today.

At the end of the day, at least one airline in Nigeria knows that when a passenger complains about a missing iPpad for instance, they have a responsibility not to shout on his or her lawyer. They have a responsibility to treat each customer in a special way irrespective of who is making the report. Am I making noise because I cannot afford an iPad? Well, who knows? All I know is that, the next service provider that’d make a mess of an ordinary service around me stands a risk of being convicted on social media. You cannot report a reputable company on social media and have people bash it up for you, but it is always easy to raise an army of social media militants against a historically notorious brand.

Until I have my iPad returned to me or I get a compensation for same – without a request to keep the agreement silent – I will always ask where my iPad is from those who said they put it in my bag. The thing is, how anyone feels about it is not my business. I know my business and I mind it obsessively well. The consumer can be king, all s/he needs do is wear the crown. New media is the king maker!

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (22)

  1. Useless Sense: Omojuwa does not even know you exist. Look a your lowly wretched never-do-well life hating on someone who doesn't even know you or care if you will die tonight hating him? You are nameless and useless. You are so inconsequential you couldn't even dare use your name to comment. People like you die wretched while these folks you hate keep succeeding and will never in their lives know you died hating them. Can you how wretched your life is. He is probably somewhere chilling now and you will be back to drop a comment. Let's even assume he gave me a BlackBerry, at least I did not have to steal the chinko phone in your hand like you did with your miserable, destitute, poor, wretched and wasted life.

  2. Omojuwa is fooling himself, Arik is NOT responsible for his iPad, he lost it due to personal negligence.

  3. @umar tikka, is it because of blackberry that your pauper self won that is making you loose your chains? U must be a low life person to argue your point without using any sense. You are no doubt one of those useless BH people who don't see any good in anything good. Go and get a life bro. So sad your highlights of omojuwa achievements made him more humiliating. I laaf in fulani. While people are doing great stuffs without blowing their trumpet, omojuwa is making jest of himself with his cheap publicity and a baboon like you that just escaped from the UI zoo is here disillusioned. As long as I am concerned, omojuwa should go to hell and stop dragging this country backward with his criticism. He should get busy cos he is too idle with his clown co-travelers like you. Shio!!!

  4. New Media has certainly a lot of good, I could never imagine rubbing minds with great people like I have since I began using the Social Media. If used correctly, the social media, will eventually birth the new Nigeria we all desire and deserve.

    Am I shocked at the 'sensible' comments??? No!

  5. @Common Sense. You are the irony of your name. You come across as a sad fool. No wonder you did not put your name. I am sure you are one of those Omojuwa haters twitter has blocked. Hate him or love him, he has one of the most influential blogs in this country today. He speaks at events and conferences all over the country and beyond. He organises competitions where people win cash prizes and even yesterday someone won a BlackBerry. He was credited with #OccupyNigeria and helped to #SaveJude, #SaveGeorge and of course #SaveOke. If this amounts to being an empty barrel then I guess most people are useless for not being empty barrels. Look at you for instance, you are unknown waste buffoon whose name means nothing. You could not even write. I just listed things Omojuwa has done in such a short period off my head. I am certain if he were to sit down and count his achievements people like you will just commit suicide. What have you done with your life? Omojuwa stays on twitter but who wouldn't stay they are able to make money and be influential? Get a life mate and stop hating on that kid. He inspires many and at the rate people like you are going, you will commit suicide because that dude is going places. Useless hater, get real common sense into your head before you use it as a name, after that, get a life. Fool!

  6. @omojuwa is just an empty barrel. All what he wants is just cheap publicity. Valuables are mostly placed in hand luggages and hand luggages are placed over your seat luggage cabin. Its a shame that he is coming naked outside with this. Someone whould please call him to order.

    Have u asked yourself, someone that is almost 24 hours on twitter daily, how come he didn't have his ipad in front of him during the flight, at least he can't use his phone but sure he can make use of his ipad…..he is just an empty barrel who feels cos of the current Nigeria situation can use twitter that was invented by his younger ones age mates to gain cheap popularity.

    He should go and look for a labourer job if he is that jobless. I have seen a cripple forgot his crutches before and couldnt get it yet didn't make such unnecessary noise. Omojuwa should tell us other assistance he has rendered this country other than cheap twitter and social media that a 10 year old can also do effectively. Shiooo

  7. With all due respect omojuwa has d right to complain of his iPad being stolen but he shouldn't put d blame solely on Arik. It's possible the co-passenger beside u stole it. With all ur experience u have embarrassed me with all your rants about Arik and ur iPad. Yes Arik was terribly wrong to yell at u n ur lawyers but I can't say how u reacted 2 them was either aggressively or not. Nevertheless, they don't deserve 2 yell at u. Lastly, check yourself b4 u wreck yourself. You were careless!

  8. Mr. Deji – thanks for the illustration you used to make example and let me twist it for you. Imagine we stay in the same compound and in the whole of the area you are the most important person aka Mr. Popular and there was no light and you wanted to charge your phone. In the room with me I had like 5 of my friends over including myself making 6 and after like 30mins you came back for your phone and you didn't see it where u had plugged it. I am the owner of the room so its my responsibility to make sure that your phone was safe I agree but since we searched and didn't see it and I have asked everyone after it and the response was that they didn't see it too. Knowing fully well I didn't take your phone and which I told you. You went around the area telling everyone I had stolen your phone, including the landlord about it. Since the tension was high I told you to please come and I bought you a new one but pleaded that you allow the case die down by not telling anybody. Instead of you to collect it jeje like that you refused and you went back to the street and the whole area telling them I bought you a new one but said you should not make noise about it. Now tell me who is at fault Deji.

  9. It's like, no, it's like . . . naaa, I have nothing to write here. Some people argue for the sake of argument and not it's merit or lack of it. This NURTW or warreva comparison is totally off P! (make person write all this grammar and you come dey compare am to agbero situation, a beg, issh!)

  10. @ Kelvin & Quadri; Do u guys really understand d issue @ hand.So if I com to ur house & forget my phone there, you have no obligation to return the phone.Its like kept on a table & instead of scolding the child you are ranting @ the owner of the money that he should have been more careful. Yes, I agree Omojuwa should have been more careful with his I-pad but its the airlines responsibility to return lost but found items to the owners not keep them and also treat such cases with the sare it deserves.Even if there was no way they could return the I-pad the way & manner heed to is another issue.

  11. Mr. Adekunle Quadri I share the same thought with you. Omojuwa is just looking for publicity that's all there is.

  12. My earlier comment was supposed to be in response to Adekunle Quadri' mammoth display of ignorance not Wale Bakare' constructive and intelligent comment.Mr.Bakare,pls accept my apologies.

  13. @ Wale Bakare,how can u draw such comparisms?What' d relationship between a completely uncouth and stark illiterates-controlled NURTW and an airline that is supposed to be run by highly sophisticated and scrupulous people?Besides,we are talking an airline with five or six aircrafts not tens of thousands of commercial buses.How can u even draw such an analogy?Truth is,they are like oil and water;not to be mixed.What a comment!

  14. Hmmmmm…dis is indeed a wake up call to service providers to treat their customers right.Omojuwa dis has gone farther than just an ipad issue,it revolves around every other service providers in Nigeria.PHCN,DSTV,telecoms,etc.Its about time we remind them that we make them be in business and witout us their brands can't exist!!!

    @Adekunle Quadri…pls if u dnt know d foundation of an issue,dnt just lend a voice wit such ignorance.

    I believe DSTV will be the next in line to fall in d hands of consumers…i have said my piece

  15. I am in support of demanding a good service from service providers but what I don't understand is the circumstances behind the lost of omojuwa ipad. was it checked in as luggage or carried by him as an hand luggage.whatever the circumstances let us be sure we are fighting a good course.

  16. How will a grown up like omojuwa lost his ipad in an airline and expect the management to replace it or compensate him? Is like loosing ur ipad in commercial bus and go to NURTW for compensation? People wake up nd face the fact… Am in total support of Customer is King but not in this situation.

  17. I have said it before… most people do not even know their right as a citizen worst of it all they try to intimidate those fighting a just cause. No matter how long this issue lasts, surely it will forever be in their history book.

  18. It Wistle Blowing sites and apparatus will do wonders than any legislations that are not enforced! @ Omojuwa welldone! Keep up the good work.

  19. I said it innitially that this battle between omojuwa and Arik will usher in a new era where customer would be king! just as we are demanding accountability from our leaders, let's start demanding good services from service providers!

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