I&M Bank Refuses to Reverse Airtime Purchases: A Case of Bad Design and Poor Customer Service

When making a seemingly simple transaction through a banking app, one would expect a smooth and hassle-free process. However, as we recently discovered with the I&M Bank app, a minor mistake can lead to a frustrating and unrecoverable loss.

Here’s the story of an airtime purchase error that highlights critical flaws in app design, user experience, and customer service.

The Incident

While attempting to send money through the I&M Bank app, an honest mistake occurred. The interface design required selecting “Send Money” first, which then presented several options, including “Send Money to Mobile,” “Pay Bills,” “Buy Goods,” and “Airtime Purchase.” Unfortunately, the similarity between these options and the subsequent identical interfaces for buying airtime and sending money made it far too easy to select the wrong option.

In this case, airtime was purchased instead of money being sent. Realizing the error immediately, we reached out to both I&M Bank and Safaricom, the service provider, hoping to reverse the transaction since the airtime was unspent.

Responses from I&M Bank and Safaricom

The responses were disappointing:

• I&M Bank: “Unfortunately, we are unable to reverse airtime purchase. Nothing can be done for airtime purchase reversals.”
• Safaricom: “Sorry about that. Regrettably, we are only able to do reversals for airtime directly bought from M-Pesa. Please call the bank for more assistance.”

Both parties dismissed the request, leaving us questioning why such a basic service—reversing an erroneous airtime purchase—was impossible. No technical explanations were provided, nor were there any efforts to empathize with the customer’s predicament.

The Core Issues

This experience highlighted three major flaws: poor interface design, inflexible policies, and subpar customer service.

1. Poor Interface Design

The I&M Bank app’s interface is unintuitive and prone to errors:

• Placing “Airtime Purchase” under “Send Money” is misleading. Users associate “Send Money” with transferring funds, not buying airtime.
• The identical interfaces for “Send Money” and “Airtime Purchase” create confusion. There are no distinct visual cues or warnings to alert users before finalizing the transaction.

Solution: A redesign separating airtime purchases from money transfers, along with clearer warnings or confirmation prompts, could drastically reduce such errors.

2. Inflexible Policies

Both I&M Bank and Safaricom refuse to reverse airtime purchases, even when the airtime is unused. This inflexibility raises several questions:

• Why can’t airtime reversals be treated like M-Pesa reversals? The logic of “it’s unspent, so it can be reversed” seems straightforward.
• Are technical or financial barriers preventing reversals? If so, why haven’t these been addressed?

Solution: Implement a system for reversals of unspent airtime, similar to how M-Pesa handles erroneous transactions.

3. Subpar Customer Service

I&M Bank failed to provide satisfactory resolutions or explanations:

• I&M Bank’s response was a blanket “nothing can be done,” offering no empathy or alternative solutions.

Solution: Train customer service teams to empathize with users and provide detailed explanations or alternative solutions.

The Bigger Picture

This incident isn’t just about one user’s experience; it reflects a broader issue in app design and service policies across financial and telecom industries. As digital payments and banking become the norm, usability and customer satisfaction must be prioritized.

Why This Matters

1. Customer Trust: Inflexible policies erode trust. Customers need to feel confident that mistakes can be rectified.
2. User Experience: Poorly designed interfaces cause frustration and financial loss, driving users away from services.
3. Innovation Stagnation: If companies aren’t willing to address such basic issues, they risk falling behind in a competitive market.

Final Thoughts

This experience with the I&M Bank app highlights a failure in user experience design, policy flexibility, and customer service. Fixing these issues is not just about avoiding negative experiences—it’s about building trust and ensuring customer loyalty.

For now, the lack of a reversal system for airtime purchases remains a glaring flaw. Until such issues are addressed, users are left to double-check every transaction and hope they don’t fall victim to the same inflexibility we encountered.