Have you bought MTN recharge cards over the expected price this year? Retailers of MTN recharge cards have alleged an increase in the price they buy recharge cards in bulk as responsible for increase in the retail price. Some retailers add N20 over the normal price (based on value) of all MTN card denominations they sell. For instance a N200 MTN card may be sold at N220. The arbitrary increase is applicable to only MTN recharge cards in most parts of Lagos. Some retailers said the cards were scarce and dealers have now capitalised on the scarcity to increase their retail prices. “MTN cards are scarce in Lagos and dealers are selling to us at increased prices, so we too have to add N10 or more to each denomination to recoup our money,” a retail vendor, Emeka Ogor, told Thisday. Worried about this development, the management of MTN has therefore said it has not effected any retail price
increase in any of the recharge card denominations, stating that the face value of all its recharge card denominations remain the same. Corporate Services Executive, MTN, Mr. Wale Goodluck, said: “We have not effected a price increase and the retail price of the various denominations of our recharge cards and recharge vouchers remain the same. “Our recharge vouchers come in the following denominations: N1,500, N750, N400, N200 and N100, and must be sold at the face value.” Disturbed by the new development which started last week, Goodluck said: “Any such hike is contrary to MTN’s wishes or knowledge. MTN has a well-established distribution structure and all our authorised partners within this structure are obliged to sell recharge cards at their face value. “Any variance from the authorised face value of recharge cards is without MTN’s knowledge or authority.” “MTN’s 55 million customers can purchase airtime via recharge cards or recharge vouchers as well as through a virtual top-up. The airtime recharge options are generally distributed via a very extensive trade and distribution network which has over the years successfully enhanced accessibility to airtime and customer convenience,” he said. Goodluck assured customers that the company was working assiduously to arrest the situation and urged its customers in the affected areas to explore other options of purchasing their airtime, such as the MTN Virtual Top Up (VTU) or MTN Auto-Top Up.