Residents of Bo City have raised serious allegations against Easy Solar, claiming the company has been making unauthorized deductions from their salaries without consent.

The controversy centers around a loan agreement that customers signed documents and provided personal information including their PIN code to obtain products, leading to significant financial distress for many civil servants in Bo City.

In an interview with Sierraloaded, Mohamed Lamin Ngegba, a teacher at Bilal Primary School, shared his experience with Easy Solar. He and his colleague, Alie Mustapha Sesay, were approached by a marketer from the company who linked them with the company to get Itel mobile phones on loan.

Desperate for a phone, they signed the agreement and provided their bank details, including personal PIN codes, with the understanding that Nle372 would be deducted monthly from their salaries. He said the company assured them that they will receive their phones in two weeks time.

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However, after two weeks of waiting for their phones, Ngegba visited the company’s office only to be informed that the deductions would begin before they received their devices. Frustrated, he requested an immediate termination of the agreement, which he claims was documented. Despite this, Ngegba reported unauthorized deductions starting in November, continuing for five months despite assurances from the company that the deductions would cease.

Following the escalation of the issue, which was later taken to court, Ngegba recounted that the company contacted them, promising to refund all deducted amounts within 21 working days, pleading with them to withdraw the matter from the court, which he said they did. Yet, he alleged that deductions resumed in April and extended to May, with only partial refunds provided for the previous months.

Francis Kabia, a Corporate Sales Associate at Easy Solar, acknowledged the issue, stating that the company only owed Ngegba and his friend two months of refunds. He explained that when customers sign agreements, their information is held for a month to confirm their intentions, and then send it to the Accountant General.

Kabia claimed that any mistakes in deductions would be rectified, stating, “Anytime we mistakenly deduct from someone’s salary, it will take two weeks as the longest period for the person to get a refund of his money.” “Any mistake the Accountant General does, it will reflect on us as a company,” he stated, asserting that the Accountant General’s office is responsible for processing those transactions.

An anonymous source from the Accountant General’s office confirmed to Sierraloaded that they were unaware of any unauthorized deductions, stating they only act on instructions from Easy Solar. The source expressed surprise at the legal action taken by Ngegba, emphasizing that the issue lies solely with the company.

In an attempt to hear from the Easy Solar Company Manager at Bo City Branch, when put a call across to him, he responded saying, “I am busy at the moment, but I will call you back at my leisure time.” After that conversation, Sierraloaded made so many efforts to reach him again, but he neither responded, nor pick any of his calls.

Further reports confirmed that the situation is not only isolated to Ngegba and Sesay. Mrs. Martin, another victim and teacher at SLMB in Bo City, recounted her own ordeal with Easy Solar. According to her, she ordered a stove in 2022, but the company continued to deduct payments long after her agreement had ended. Despite numerous calls to the company through their customer service number, 336, she has yet to receive a refund for the unauthorized deductions.

Further attempts were made to reach out to the Company’s Marketer, who allegedly made connections between Ngogbe, his brother and the Company, he neither responded to any of his calls nor reply to any of the WhatsApp messages.