Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) has made it pellucid that it has not authorised additional fees being charged by some of its agents for transactions, including deposits, amid growing complaints from consumers. Responding to questions on reports of agents imposing separate cash fees on customers in addition to the standard transaction costs, MMG said the charges are not sanctioned by the company and that its official fee structure has remained unchanged for the past year. “This is not sanctioned by MMG. There is a fixed commission, no changes were made to these,” the company said. The response comes as consumers increasingly raise concerns over fees being imposed by agents for transactions that were previously not subject to additional charges, including deposits. MMG maintained that of this is being done then the agents are operating outside the company’s approved fee structure when imposing the additional charges.

However, the unauthorised charges have been causing much complaint among consumers, who described the fees as inconsistent, unclear and in some cases, sprung on them without warning at the point of transaction. “I was recharging my wallet to pay a utility bill. I handed the agent the cash and I was asked if I wanted to have the fees taken from the amount or if I would pay separately. The fee was $200. I have never deposited at this particular agent before. In the past, I had done withdrawals,” MMG customer, Gary Foo, recalled of his recent experience of being charged an additional fee for a transaction for the first time three weeks ago.

The company noted that it had not changed its fee structure for deposits and withdrawals in the past year, with the last changes being made three years ago, when it was sanctioned by the Bank of Guyana (BOG).