EcoCash, Zimbabwe’s biggest mobile money services provider with over 95% share of the market has been having problems lately. In the last couple of weeks the platform seemed to have stabilised but today…
This afternoon
For over two hours in the afternoon EcoCash was not working properly. The most problematic transactions were ‘pay merchant’ transactions. Specifically those that are initiated by the merchant e.g when you buy stuff in a super market and the attendant asks you for your EcoCash number and the next thing, your phone is asking you for a PIN to confirm the transaction.
Sending money and initiating merchant payment yourself as well as transfers to bank or transfers from bank were working just fine. It looks like there is a problem with the integration between EcoCash and merchants, this seems to be the most affected by the outrages. In Harare’s CBD a lot of merchants were not accepting EcoCash as a payment method in the afternoon.
Now…
Right now the platform is down again. This time you can’t access any of the menus. Whether you are using the app or USSD, you can’t access the service.
EcoCash is the most important consumer transaction platform in Zimbabwe processing most of such transactions. Whatever is causing these now frequent down times needs to be fixed. A platform of this importance must not go down for two hours.
11 comments
As always. madowntime eEconet awandisa. When will TechZim organise a name and shame on twitter regarding maDown time eEconet. I am tired and im sure many clients are tired.
Techzim, can you not write an article exposing just how badly customers are abused when Ecocash has such challenges with Merchant Payments? If your wallet is debited but the merchant system doesn’t register the payment, they tell you it will be refunded. And they generally do, sometimes even when you are waiting but you will not get back the 2% Mthuli tax or the Ecocash fees. Is that fair really? On a $500 bill, that is $12.50 to Mthuli and $1.50 to Ecocash! A total of $14 short when your refund comes in, only for you to go and do the same transaction all over again!! That is $28 out of your same $500 shopping bill. Completely unjust!!
The only reason the payment failed is because of problems with the Ecocash system yet they keep their fees and prejudice the customer of $25 hard earned dollars. (Which, BTW do you think they Remit all of that IMTT to Mthuli even on failed transactions that had to be reversed? Hmm……)
If the transaction fails due to a problem on the Ecocash system, they must not earn ANYTHING and if tax must be paid, it should be for Ecocash to pay, NOT ME!
Please Techzim expose this unfair business practice.
What can we do we at the mercy of these bankd and the like.stan chatc have raised their prices. More to follow sures
@ violated without Vaseline
Wabaya Dede nemukanwa
Dai matoenderera nekuExposa humbavha whese waStrive donating foodstuffs every now and then does not make you a philanthropist. Unongori tsotsi saana Makandiwas and the Magayas. I juiced a data bundle daily for $3 2GB got busy for 30min it was gone kwahi naCustomer care maWindows updates ini ndakamadzima. The day econet goes is the day we will see free/cheap unlimited internet in Zimbabwe. Who the hell establish a business and tells us that he was targeted by Zanu. Ah iwe usanyepe u can never thrive when targeted by Zanu even if Jesus is by your side ..they are in your pocket. This is zanu land aint no God here dai Chamisa akahwinha zve. God is Zanu in Zimbabwe. God can rule anywhere else on earth except zimbabwe. I hope history will forget you. You and your wife your soccer hating wife it was her idea chete kuti tione maSports akadhakwa paKwese. Why do u think we are fools if God exits u will burn in hell
Dear TechZim before writing a whole article on how Ecocash has failed, did you do a survey to actually see if you are not the only one facing this particular challenge?
” In Harare’s CBD a lot of merchants were not accepting EcoCash as a payment method in the afternoon.”
Dear Techzim, ive checked my Ecocash and those around me and all is well. Did you maybe check before publishing your article.
TechZim, do you have something against Econet? Funny enough, from yesterday up to now I have been transacting with EcoCash without any challenges.
I work in retail support and I can confirm that Ecocash has issues in the evenings from around 6:30 p.m. for those who transact using the web API. Do you work for Cassava?
Looks like we have red & blue coloured trolls commenting on this. There WAS an issue YESTERDAY – FACT! It affected Integrated Merchant Payments where the transaction is initiated by the Merchant (ie, the ones where you just enter your phone number and you get the prompt on your phone). So just because it didnt affect YOU when you were doing your person-to-person payments or doing the manual Merchant payments (entering Merchant code and amount), it doesn’t change the fact – there was an issue. And its not the first time – Ecocash has similar poblems with their system every so often. That is not an attack. It would be more productive if you got back to work fixing the issues instead of trolling this forum feigning ignorance about the known problem!
I did a transaction more than a month ago my account was debited and merchant wasnt paid. Settled in cash expected funds to bounce back up to now nothing and given runaround to get statement from ecocash to get a letter from merchant back to ecocash what a nightmare!!! Frightened to use ecocash and of course all the charges that will not be reversed!