UPDATE [January 8, 2020 at 6:43pm WAT]: Some customers who ordered online have begun receiving refunds via Paystack. I personally received a refund less than 7 hours after publishing the below article.
You may remember Zzapo Mobile and its incredible offer of a ₦7999 smartphone. From all indications, it might have been too good to be true.
It's been over a month since I placed an order and shared my experience but I'm yet to receive a device. I'm not alone. Millions of other customers across Nigeria have not received theirs either.
Based on Zzapo Mobile's 21-day delivery promise, I was meant to visit their office during the Christmas holidays to pick my device. But as it turned out, there were closed for the holidays.
So I tried again on Tuesday, January 7 but the shop was still locked. On further enquiry from people around, I learnt that on Monday, a number of disgruntled customers had stormed the Zzapo Mobile shop with mobile police officers. According to my sources, the customer relationship officers are currently detained at the Area F police station, GRA Ikeja, Lagos.
All efforts to get official comments from Zzapo Mobile proved abortive. The only semblance of a statement is a December 23 post from their official Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6bNi-aA68d/?igshid=1s7gzffxiseml
"Dear customers, we want to sincerely apologise for the delay in product delivery," it reads, "And also [sic] wish to inform those who can no longer wait that they have the right to request a refund if by the end of the week their orders are not delivered".
That was the last time we heard from Zzapo Mobile. I have not received any refund. I personally don't know anyone who has.
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One of my sources claims to have seen the company's managing director (and possible owner) a couple of times. However, according to my source, he has maintained a virtual presence in all of this and has yet to make an appearance.
Someone already started an Instagram page, @zzaposcammed9ja, with 61 followers. One of the posts highlights a public apology by Broda Shaggi, the popular online comedian and influencer, who ran paid endorsements for Zzapo Mobile when the promo started.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6v6xm8FCJS/?igshid=1py9o38x6a6x9
Another source claims that Zzapo Mobile also enlisted the help of celebrity artistes like Teni the Entertainer and MI, for offline campaigns within Ikeja Computer Village, during the holiday season.
All of these raise the question of who is behind Zzapo Mobile and how can they be held accountable?
This is a developing story.
