In an unfortunate incident, a young man was shot dead while two others sustained injuries after a dispute over charges related to an easypaisa transaction.
According to details, an argument broke out between a shopkeeper and a customer allegedly over the demand for extra money on an easypaisa transaction in Rawalpindi recently. The altercation over the charges escalated and the shopkeeper opened fire. As a result, a young man was killed while two of his relatives who were with him were injured.
ProPakistani has dug into the matter and has been informed by multiple customers that retailers and sales agents have been charging arbitrary rates on easypaisa transactions from customers. Heated debates between agents and customers are not uncommon as no fixed rates are being followed by retailers and agents. In a video statement, one of the injured victims said that they were asked to pay Rs. 500 for transferring an amount of Rs. 50,000.
When contacted by ProPakistani, a retailer, on condition of anonymity, said that easypaisa was offering decent margins to retailers and franchise holders. However, the company eliminated this margin recently.
The retailer said that now most retailers charge arbitrary rates, and the amount charged increases as the amount of the transaction increases.
A customer we spoke to said that retailers also charge arbitrary fees if one has to deposit money into his/her easypaisa account. Apart from this, easypaisa has also started charging SMS charges of Rs. 15 per month, though SMS on transfer is a mandatory service, through which the user receives the code”.
ProPakistani approached easypaisa to comment on the matter and in response the company said that Telenor Microfinance Bank & easypaisa are regulated by the State Bank of Pakistan.
“We believe channel partners are the backbone of our system. And to keep them strong and intact we ensure that their profitability is kept intact. We have to continuously revamp product-wise returns where last year we revised account Cash IN commissions keeping in view its business volumes and effective utilization for our valuable subscribers which still is as per industry standards,” the company said in its response.
On the same point we manifold increased commissions on other avenues/products for which our channel partners are getting a handsome share, it added.
“We prioritize transparency and customer convenience. Our Rs. 15 (inclusive of tax) monthly SMS charge ensures timely notifications for our customers whenever they use our retail network for offline transactions like cash deposits and withdrawals,” the statement added.
It further said that this fee is comparatively lower than what other commercial banks are charging and the same is also declared in our Schedule of Charges.
Separately, a spokesperson of JazzCash said that the company has not reduced any commissions.
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