Salami Oladejo (not real name), a resident of Niger State, came across Hybrid Eco Solar in February and was drawn to its product catalogue and sales proposition.
The payment plan was reasonable; he could pay in part for the product, get his order and pay the rest in instalments. Interested in a double hybrid stove, Oladejo proceeded with a purchase.
According to the product description and service details on the brand’s business page, Oladejo was required to pay N15,900 as a down payment for the double-burner hybrid solar stove on February 3.
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The remaining balance was to be paid in instalments, as specified in the advertised payment plan.
Oladejo made the initial payment and finalised the deal with a male representative of the company.
However, communication broke down on the scheduled delivery date, and this raised Oladejo’s suspicions. He told FIJ that when he tried calling the driver, his calls went unanswered.
After multiple failed attempts to reach the driver, Oladejo checked the number on Truecaller, an open-source caller ID app, and was alarmed to find the contact labelled as “scam”.
Frustrated, he reached out to Hybrid Eco Solar for an explanation. The response he received was dismissive. In the messages FIJ saw, the company told him to “calm down” and stop “jumping to conclusions and reacting like a child”.
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After that exchange, communication ceased entirely, and the product was never delivered.
FIJ first intervened on February 11, prompting a response from the company. A representative assured FIJ that Oladejo could either receive a refund or have the product delivered to him.
The representative explained that other customers were on the delivery list and claimed they had stopped responding to Oladejo because he had labelled them scammers.
While FIJ’s involvement briefly reopened communication, it did not resolve the issue. Hybrid Eco Solar’s representative later demanded that Oladejo pay an additional 50% of the remaining balance before delivery.
Confused by this unexpected request, Oladejo asked for clarification, as this condition had not been part of the original agreement. Instead of a proper explanation, he received a template response insisting he needed to pay.
Oladejo pointed out that he had never been informed of such a policy, especially when the initial delivery attempt failed. This led to another back-and-forth exchange that ended in a stalemate.
On February 20, FIJ sent a reminder to the company regarding Oladejo’s refund. At press time, there had been no response.
The post Niger Resident Paid Hybrid Eco Solar N15,900 for Stove. 3 Weeks Later, No Delivery appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.