Businessman Sues Airtel For N2 Billion Over Non-Delivery Of Sms

Airtel has been taken to court by an Ibadan-based businessman, Mr. Wole Abisoye, for non-delivery of short messages services (SMS).

He is claiming N2 billion as damages for the non-delivery of the text messages as “a breach of the defendant’s obligation to him”.

Abisoye is claiming that Airtel failed to deliver 17 short message services (sms) sent on its network since January 1, 2012.

In an originating summon filed by his counsel, Luqman Laoye,  Abisoye said he sent New Year messages to 20 of his business associates and clients using his Airtel number but only three of the messages were delivered.

He said Airtel deducted charges for the 20 messages whereas it failed to deliver all the messages.

The businessman claimed that he lodged a complaint on the issue to the  company at one of the branches of Airtel in Ibadan which was not attended to.

He said his  repeated complaints were equally not attended to at the Ibadan office of the telecommunication company.

Abisoye said his complaints were lodged at Airtel office on Secretariat Road, Mokola, five days after he sent the messages in January, 2012.

In the statement of claim, also signed by his lawyer, Laoye, the businessman claimed that the non-delivery of the messages has brought him to ridicule and loss of goodwill as his clients and associates ‘have refused to patronise him again, a situation that forced him to instruct his lawyer to sue the company.’

“The claimant has suffered monumental embarrassment, ridicule, loss of goodwill, trust and confidence from his clients and business associates, who believe he was lying when he asserted that he sent New Year messages to them through the defendant’s network which have not been delivered till date.

“The claimant had also lost many lucrative businesses from his clients and business associates, who have refused to patronize him again on the promise that, he, the claimant, is not worthy of transacting business with on account of his perceived deceit with respect to the non-delivery of the New Year text messages he (claimant) allegedly sent to his clients and business associates”, Laoye said.

NATION