Friday 16 September 2011

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Dear Consumer’s Voice #1

I would want you to check if Omega Global University is registered in the Zambian capital.
Their Professor Sibiya told me that they are registered in Lusaka.


"Omega Global University" is NOT a real university, it’s entirely fake. We covered this establishment last year when it was announced in the local press that someone had been awarded a "Professor of Divinity Degree" by them.

This fake "university" has a habit of jumping from one web site to another. They've previously used “omegabibletheologicalcollege.com” and “omegaglobaluniversity.com“ (both of which no longer work) but have now moved to ogu.org.za.

Along with this change in their web site they now claim to be based in South Africa and give a postal address in Nelspruit, not Zambia any longer. Although they are registered as a non-profit organisation in SA this doesn’t mean that any qualification they offer is worth even the paper on which it is printed. They’re not accredited by any real academic accreditation body. This is highlighted by the fact you are invited on their web site to apply for an honorary degree. You have to buy it of course, for real money. I think that say all you need to know about them.

Finally it's important to note that any "qualification" awarded by this fake organisation would NOT be recognised anywhere in the world. It wouldn’t take an employer very long to realize that one of their “degrees” is fake.

Dear Consumer’s Voice #2

I asked a designer at Gaborone station to design a suit for me. I realized when l went to collect it that the coat was small. The lady who took my measurement said l should collect it and use it then return it so that they make a new one for me. I returned it on Tuesday and the owner of the factory proved to be aggressive and stubborn. The lady who asked me to return it has since left the factory. I didn't use it at all and decided to use my old suit. Help.


The situation as far as your rights are concerned is simple.

By failing to give you a suit of the correct size they firstly breached Section 13 (1) (a) of the Consumer Protection Regulations that says they've failed "to meet minimum standards and specifications" if the commodity sold "does not match any sample or description given to the consumer".

They have also breached Section 15 (1) (a) which says that they've failed "meet minimum standards of performance" if the "the service is not rendered with reasonable care and skill". Surely making a suit the wrong size falls into this category?

I suggest you give the manager a letter saying that they have breached the Consumer Protection Regulations as I mentioned above. Give them 7 days to offer you a complete refund. Tell them you've spoken to us and we're taking an interest?

Fake awards alert!

We covered the so-called "World Quality Commitment Convention" awards when they were soliciting victims last year. This scam is remarkably similar to the "Bizz Awards" scam that we covered in the past. Both of these awards are deceptive. They're not genuine awards that an organisation earns, they’re an award you pay to receive.

In the email they send to “winners” they say that:
"The results of the voting process are confidential, in that the exact source of nomination of your company cannot be revealed."
That's just a bit too suspicious. There's no evidence that this is based on any genuine evaluation. Last year if you wanted to receive your award they demanded around €3,800 (about P35,000), which includes a compulsory stay at the hotel of their choice. It doesn’t include the flights and other travel and living expenses.

Most telling last year was that one of the organisations they approached and offered an award hadn't traded since 2003. I think that says all we need to know.

Please don't fall for this scam, it'll just cost a small fortune that your organization can spend better elsewhere, like a Christmas party never to be forgotten!

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