This startup makes buying ZESA prepaid electricity tokens online reliable

L.S.M Kabweza Avatar

Buying ZESA prepaid electricity tokens on the internet is nothing new. For about a year now it’s been possible, with the noteworthy solution being TelOne’s Telpay website which we wrote about last year. There’s a new interesting addition though and this new service solves a key problem with zesa token vending, which the other platforms have seemingly ignored – reliability. The service is called Power.Plus and it was launched in February this year.

First, a summary of the problem: if you have tried to buy an electricity token at agents using cash, you’d know that it’s not uncommon to hop from one shop to another when ZESA the system or some it’s super agents (Agribank, CBZ, Netone, ZB Bank etc) is offline.

Same happens for people trying to buy tokens on the Telpay site – if the ZESA system (or whatever Telpay is using to connect to ZESA) is offline, it’s tough luck – come back and try again later! Some people who have complained about the issue say this has happened even after the customer has transferred the money from their mobile money wallet to these platforms.

Power.Plus solves the problem like so: You register an account with them and add your ZESA meter number. When you buy electricity, it tries to complete the transaction immediately, but when it finds the ZESA system is down, it notifies you, queues the transaction and keeps trying at regular intervals in the background. In the meantime you can close the site and go do other things. Eventually when the ZESA systems comes online and Power.Plus completes the transactions, it sends the recharge token number via SMS. That way no one has to frantically keep checking if the system is online. Simple, but really convinient.

The company providing the service is called Zodzo.net. We spoke to the founder of the company, Kuziva Zimunya, for this article so we could understand more what they’re building. He says their focus is understand the needs of their customers are and that already they are learning some interesting ways they are adding convenience.

“We are getting new meter registrations everyday. With the current cash crisis we have also become relevant to companies as we accept RTGS and Bank Transfers – something they do not enjoy when they go to the cash agents. Supermarkets demand cash – and for a companies on prepaid meters where the bills average around $4000, they get stuck,” he told us.

Power.Plus accepts payment from EcoCash, Telecash, Vpayments and RTGS. It’s a bit of a problem of course for those that would prefer to buy using VISA or Mastercard.

On other things they offer that differentiate them Zimunya says because they create Power.Plus accounts for their customers, they are not only able to keep retrying transactions when the ZESA system is down, but can keep a transaction history for their clients which makes it convinient for those looking to reconcile accounts or trying to understand their poweer consumption better.

In future, he says they plan to sell more digital tokens but are focused on understanding the prepaid electricity tokens customer for the time being.


 

11 comments

  1. Nyasha Mupaso

    This is brilliant. Very convenient

  2. Dom Lynton

    Power.Plus guys have great customer support, something lacking amongst many local online startups. Even their marketing suggest these guys are not fly-by-night techies who bumped into an opportunity. They took their time to understand the gaps in the market.

    Wish you the best guys.

  3. Sofia Grunt

    I agree with you Dom. Power.Plus have wonderful customer support. Last week I mistakenly aborted my transaction. They phoned within minutes, after noticing my payment had gone through but had not received my ZESA token.

    Uncommon courtesy these days.

  4. Nobuhle

    I love their their animated promo. High quality and well arranged. I suggest they divesify into animation, or at least collaborate with ZBC KidsNet.

  5. Godfrey

    I have just tried the website and it worked perfectly. Bought for parents in Mutare and the tokens were delivered. What I liked most is that the website is secured from end to end. Without SSL security I wouldn’t have proceeded to share my payment details.

    Well done Power.Plus

  6. Allan

    Power.plus thingy is dope

  7. macd chip

    Thumps up guys!! Certificate verified is a big plus. When you get into business to solve a problem, you are mostly likely to get successful if you work hard.

    Wish you the best…

  8. Mkha

    Works exceptionally well. I love it

  9. Papa Legba

    What’s in it for them?

  10. Stephen Drew

    If any one’s interested I sell solar energy to Zimbabweans. You can contact me via Ebay to organize what system would work for you.

    The pay back takes about 4 years for 250w panels at 7cent per Kilowatt. That is significantly cheaper than purchasing ZESA power!

    260W(250W) Blue\White solar panel, DIY, motorhome/caravan, boat, Africa

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272185039577?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

  11. focus

    Pathetic service always offline

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