HelloMukoma

Consumer FAQs

• What does HelloMukoma do for Customers?
  HelloMukoma is a gateway between Suppliers and Customers. HelloMukoma provides an independent online system to manage consumer complaints and compliments. The system is designed to help both customers and suppliers to resolve complaints effectively and efficiently.
  Customers may Write a Report about the service that they receive from their suppliers. Suppliers registered on HelloMukoma, receive notification of the report, address the issue raised and respond to the report.
• Why should I report? Zimbabwean Companies don't do anything about bad service anyway.
  That may be true, thus the reason for HelloMukoma. We started this platform to help change and improve on customer service in Zimbabwe. We would do this by promoting companies that offer good customer service and exposing companies that do not. Join the campaign for change. Start today by writing a new report.
• Why should I believe my complaint will be resolved?
  Every supplier knows that their customers will be unhappy if they don't deal with their complaints properly. They also know that unhappy customers are bad for business. Our service makes it easier for suppliers to respond appropriately to the customers' complaints.
• What is the first step I should take after experiencing a bad service?
  HelloMukoma strongly recommends customers to get in touch with the Company to get a resolution as a first step. However if the issue remains unresolved, we encourage you to post a report on www.HelloMukoma.com or www.HelloMukoma.co.zw.
• Do I need to register to use HelloMukoma?
  No, if you intend to do the following:
  - View all reports
  - Discuss and leave comments on a report.
  - Forward reports via email
  - Tweet a report
  - Post a report on your Facebook timeline
  - View list of Alternative Responsive Companies to an Unresponsive Company
  - View list of all Responsive Companies
  - View list of all Un-Responsive Companies
  
  YES, if you intend to write a new report.
  
  HelloMukoma seeks to promote unhindered access to information for all, hence you are able to use most features on our platform without having to register or login.
• Will my personal details be displayed online?
  NO, we do not display any personal information on our platform. You will only be identified by your chosen username as provided during registration. Companies will also never address you by your real name when responding to your report. Only Suppliers registered receive your contact details and only if you write a report about that particular company.
• I want to report on the service I received.
  Visit our homepage and complete the 'Submit a Report' section or click here.
  How much does it cost to Write a Report?
  Everything a Customer does on HelloMukoma is FREE! So Writing a Report is free.
• Are there guidelines to writing a report?
  Simply tell us about your personal experience. However your report:
  
  - Must be a real life experience.
  - Must not contain foul language including swearing, violent or coarse words. Language used must also not have any sexist or racial undertone.
  - Must be written by the customer who had the experience. No proxies allowed.
  - Should be straight forward, simple and understandable.
  - Must be constructive, with the intent for possible resolution by the Responsive Company.
  - Must be written with a positive intent to helping consumers receive better service in the future or to help the company provide a better product or service.
  - Must not be directed at an individual for personal revenge, victimization or as a vicious attack
  - Must not be based solely on personal ethical values (eg political, religious or cultural belief) as against an actual service experience.
  - Must not contain defamatory statements or violation of applicable law.
  - Must not violate Companies' rights, Intellectual property rights, or rights of privacy.
• What do I benefit from posting a report?
  When you post a report, we would contact the responsible company to inform them. We also create awareness on social media platforms about your report. In addition, our website is indexed by Google, Yahoo and other search engines; therefore, your report gets the required attention which could lead to it being addressed by the company and could result in a suitable resolution, a letter of apology or even compensation.
• Is it all about reporting bad services?
  No! HelloMukoma appreciates and encourages reports complimenting Companies. Our main goal is to promote good customer services in Zimbabwe.
• Does HelloMukoma offer consumer advice?
  HelloMukoma does not offer advice. The site serves as a gateway for Customers to write reports, and for Suppliers to respond. You can post any question on Questions under Ask Mukoma section experts in our community might assist.
• I have posted a report, what next?
  If the report is about a Responsive Company, you should get a response from the Company.
• Will the Supplier receive a copy of my Report and my contact details?
  Yes, if the Supplier is registered on HelloMukoma.
  
  No, if the Supplier is not registered.
• Will I get a response to my complaint?
  Yes, if the report is about a Responsive Company. All Responsive Companies are committed to responding to all reports and provide a resolution.
  No, if the report is about an Unresponsive Company. We however encourage customers to post reports about Unresponsive Companies or any other Company. The more reports posted, the more the visibility of the reports which of course would encourage the Companies to register to become Responsive Companies. Also, all companies will have access to reports published before they become Responsive Companies and would have the opportunity to propose a resolution.
• What complaints are handled by HelloMukoma?
  HelloMukoma will publish any complaint by a customer against any supplier on our website. All users are required to comply with our Terms & Conditions and we actively discourage the use of our service to pursue complaints that are already the subject of legal proceedings or frivolous, vexatious or otherwise inappropriate. Please see our Terms and Conditions for further information.
• Can I provide feedback or rate Company response?
  YES, if you are the author of the report, you will have an opportunity to rate the Companies' response when providing feedback. This option is mandatory if you have to reply back to the Company. We kindly ask Customers to rate and provide feedback which will be directed to the Company of concern.
• Do you accept political reports?
  HelloMukoma is designed for reports by Customers about Customer Service issues only. No political reports are accepted.
• What reports are NOT published by HelloMukoma?
  HelloMukoma is not designed as a platform for vicious slander.
  
  Any reports that contain hurtful or racial statements will be deleted immediately. HelloMukoma is not designed for reports relating to employment or salary issues nor is it designed for Supplier payment issues or personal attacks on Suppliers or individuals.
• How many reports am I allowed?
  There is no limit to the amount of reports you write.
• Will you keep a record of the communications about my complaint?
  Yes. HelloMukoma saves a copy of all correspondence generated in the process of dealing with your complaint. You can see the correspondence by logging on to your HelloMukoma account.
• I am the author of this report and I want to change the content of my report.
  Unfortunately you cannot change your report once it has been submitted.
• The Company has resolved my issue, what next?
  Great! If you are happy with the resolution, you can SWITCH the Complaint to a Compliment, increase the star rating and post a comment about the great service! HelloMukoma is happy to hear about such.
• My issue has been resolved, why is my report still online?
  Great, we love to hear of such situations!
  We would like other customers to have access to the initial complaint report before it was resolved to show the great effort made by company to satisfy the customer. We also don't want to encourage companies to threaten or bride customers to remove their reports.
  All reports will remain on our platform for 12months from the day it was published.
• My issue has still not been resolved - what do I do now?
  Please use the Customer Feedback facility and post another report.
  You're welcome to Submit a New report.
• How will I know the company got my report?
  All Responsive companies get a copy of a report about them immediately it is published.
  We promise to make adequate efforts to ensure Unresponsive and other Companies are duly informed about your reports, using every means necessary. However, this should not deter you. We would endeavor to forward reports to Unresponsive Companies if and when we have their contact details. We will continuously make every effort to ensure being a Responsive Company is the standard for every company in Zimbabwe.
• Does HelloMukoma guarantee a resolution to my Complaint?
  HelloMukoma cannot guarantee a resolution to your complaint.
  Responsive Companies are committed to responding to all reports and propose a resolution. However, bear in mind that resolutions differ on the nature of complaint and customer.
• Does HelloMukoma correct or make changes to any reports?
  No, HelloMukoma will publish your report as it is; however our systems have intelligence to truncate foul words used in reports. Customers are totally accountable for the truthfulness, completeness and accuracy of their reports.
• I want to provide Feedback to the Response from the Supplier on my report.
  This facility is only available on reports written about Responsive Companies who responds on HelloMukoma.
  
  There is no Feedback facility for reports about Companies Who Don't respond on HelloMukoma.
• I want to update my Feedback on a report.
  Customer Feedback cannot be changed once it is published on the site.
• I want to contact the person who wrote a report.
  We do not expose the real names and contact details of other customers other than to Companies concerned.
• I want to change my email address and/or contact number.
  Login and select UPDATE MY DETAILS.
• There is not enough space to write my report.
  Please write only the most important facts.
• What do I do if I have forgotten my password?
  On the Login page there's a "Forgotten Password" link. Click on this link, enter your email address and submit the request for a password reminder to be sent to you. Your password will be sent immediately to your specified email address.
• What complaints are handled by HelloMukoma?
  HelloMukoma will publish any complaint by a customer against any supplier on our website. All users are required to comply with our Terms & Conditions and we actively discourage the use of our service to pursue complaints that are already the subject of legal proceedings or frivolous, vexatious or otherwise inappropriate. Please see our Terms and Conditions for further information.
• What does HelloMukoma do to avoid the abuse of its service?
  The HelloMukoma Terms & Conditions prohibit the use of our service to pursue inappropriate complaints. Any supplier who believes that a complaint brought against it is inappropriate may invoke an inappropriate complaints procedure. HelloMukoma is obliged to implement the procedure and to comply with any ruling made by the Ombudsman. A ruling that a complaint is inappropriate does not mean that there is not a genuine grievance.
• Who owns HelloMukoma?
  HelloMukoma is owned by the developers of the service.
• Can you help publish my report if I send it to you via email?
  No, we are unable to do so, kindly register and write a report on HelloMukoma.
• Can I contact the author of the report?
  No, we are unable to share contact details of the author of reports.

Supplier FAQs

• What services does HelloMukoma offer suppliers?
  HelloMukoma provides all suppliers with the opportunity to deal with any online complaints that their customers may have. Once registered, suppliers nominate the email address to which complaints should be sent and have access to an account from which they are able to monitor and respond to each complaint. Suppliers can also customise the service and receive detailed reports on their use of the service and feedback from customers.
• How do we become a responsive Company?
  Simply register on our platform. We will contact you for additional verification if required. Once this is completed, your account is activated.
  All Responsive Companies MUST agree and commit to responding to all customer complaints within 24hrs and also propose a resolution within 72hrs. HelloMukoma would class any company not adhering to this as an Unresponsive Company.
  All Responsive Companies MUST agree to our Terms and Conditions.
• How much does it cost to register as a Responsive Customer?
  The service is completely FREE.
• I want to contact a person who wrote a report.
  In order to maintain the integrity of the website we do not expose the real names and contact details of customers other than to Companies Who Respond on HelloMukoma.
• I want to comment on this Report.
  If this report violates the rules of the site (written by a competitor, written by an employee, serves as a response by a supplier, contains swearing etc):
  Open the report and below the incident click the link Inappropriate Report.
  Select correct company option, enter the validation code and click Submit.
  Complete the form and click Submit
• There is no facility to add your opinion to this report.
  There is no facility to Respond to the author of this report unless you are a Company Who Responds. If you would like to respond to this report, please complete a Subscription form. HelloMukoma will supply you with a quote / pro forma invoice. On receipt of payment, you will become a Company Who Responds, have access to all customer details relating to reports written about your company including name, email address and cell number, and able to respond to ALL reports about your Company.
• The Supplier Name on this Report is incorrect.
  If the supplier is incorrect:
  
  Open the report and below the incident click the link Inappropriate Report.
  
  Select your company type i.e. Company Responsive Company / Un-Responsive Company, enter the validation code and click Submit.
  
  Responsive Company: Please login with your username and password, complete the form and click Submit.
  
  Un-Responsive: Click the link below the option I want to change the Supplier Name on this Report, complete the form and click Submit.
• How long do Reports remain on HelloMukoma?
  Reports remain on HelloMukoma for a period of twelve months.
• The issue has been resolved. When will it be removed from HelloMukoma?
  Reports remain on HelloMukoma for a period of twelve months. The Customer is welcome to Write a new Report to update the site.
• What are the benefits of becoming a subscriber to the HelloMukoma service?
  Subscribers to the HelloMukoma service give undertakings that demonstrate to their customers a commitment to respond constructively and promptly to complaints. Subscribers can tailor the HelloMukoma service to meet their specific requirements in a number of respects. These include the time permitted to respond to a complaint, the reminders that are received and an escalation process for complaints that have not been handled appropriately.
• What can we do on HelloMukoma?
  - View reports about your company
  - Respond to reports
  - Automatically show your reports on your website
  - Integrate HelloMukoma into your e-commerce website to take feedback and rate products.
  - Show your customer service/satisfaction ranking on your website
  - Extract and analyse reports
  - Get listed as an alternative to your competitors if they are unresponsive
  - Promote your company and brand name by integrating your brand logo, contact details and description on our platform
  
• The report is false or we believe it was written by our competitor or an ex-employee, what can we do?
  Open the report, click on link to report as 'False' or 'Inappropriate', choose the applicable option, provide more information and evidence to support your claim and a member of our team will get in touch to investigate the issue. If the evidence is compelling and the outcome of the investigation confirms same, the report will be removed.
• How do we know when a report is published about our Company?
  All responsive companies get automatic alerts via email or SMS immediately a report is published about them. The report will also show on the HelloMukoma dashboard for Company Administrators and Agents.
  
  You can add report notification recipients under Quick links in Company Account.
• How do we respond to reports?
  Open any report about your company; provide a response in the allocated space and submit. Company responses are published immediately. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE REAL NAMES OF CUSTOMERS IN YOUR RESPONSES.
• Do you provide a service to respond to reports on our behalf?
  No. HelloMukoma does not offer any service to help Companies respond to reports.
• There are some customers who we notice report false cases.
  Kindly report such cases to us with evidence. If after investigation, we confirm such occurrences, we would block such customers from posting report about your company or even blocked from using our platform.

Consumer Rights FAQs

• What are my basic rights as a consumer?
  Eight basic rights are recognized internationally:
  The right to be heard: Consumers have a right to be heard on issues, policies, laws and other relevant matters that concern them. These include the right to complain about sub-standard products and services.
  The right to be informed: Consumers have the right to be fully informed about a product or service. This includes the ingredients of processed foods and the detailed terms and conditions of a contract relating to the purchase and consumption of the product or service.
  The right to safety: Consumers have the right to protection against unsafe goods and services and to physical safety while they're on the supplier's premises.
  The right to choose: Consumers have the right to choose from a variety of products, goods and services based on their personal taste, quality and price.
  The right to redress: Consumers have the right to redress from their grievances about substandard, unsafe, unduly expensive goods and services, unfair claims and other unfair trade practices.
  The right to consumer education: Consumers have the right to be educated about basic consumer rights and responsibilities to enable them to make an informed and confident choice of goods and services.
  The right to a healthy environment: Consumers have the right to live and work in a physical environment that is safe and does not threaten health and life, that does not pose a danger to present or future generations and that will enhance their quality of life.
  The right to the satisfaction of basic needs: Consumers have the right to basic goods and services that guarantee survival. This includes adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and sanitation.
  
  Fundamental consumer rights:
  The right to be heard and obtain redress.
  The right to equal access to the consumer market.
  The right to privacy.
  The right to choose.
  The right to disclosure and information.
  The right to fair and responsible marketing.
  The right to fair and honest dealing.
  The right to fair, just and reasonable terms and conditions.
  The right to fair value, good quality and safety.
• Are there any laws that cover consumer complaints?
  Yes
• Can a consumer take a supplier to court?
  Yes, consumers can take suppliers to court and there are a number of courts to choose from.
• Would I need a lawyer if I take a supplier to court?
  Sometimes you would and sometimes you wouldn't.
• What would it cost if I went to court?
  This varies depending on the court you choose and whether you need to hire an attorney or advocate.