GT&T launches Cpoint service
Guyana Chronicle
August 8, 2004
THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has officially launched a new system offering pre-paid freedom phone users an easier way to update their accounts.
Marketing Director Michael George unfolded the Cpoint plan at a ceremony Friday at the Shell Service Station, Camp and New Market Streets, Georgetown.
GT&T staff demonstrated the new service for mobile phone customers.
George said this new step in Guyana resulted from continuous scanning of the mobile world to observe the latest technological breakthrough.
He said that the use of phone cards will not be phased out and will remain an option for users.
Marketing Officer Raymond Hunte, who also spoke at the launching, hailed the event as "a proud moment for GT&T".
He explained that the idea of a hassle-free system came about because of several important factors, including documented feedback from customers through the Customer Care Cell Centre.
"We listened to your problems", he added, noting that the most common complaints were scratching the phone cards and erasing the numbers, and entering incorrect PIN numbers.
Hunte said Cpoint will take care of all these problems and vendors will also benefit, since they will no longer have to check through thousands of cards but instead operate a simple electronic device called a terminal.
Another plus for vendors is that instead of purchasing stocks of phone cards to replenish, they will simply present the terminal to GT&T and top up the system.
Customers are simply required to inform the vendor of the amount they wish to put into the Freedom Phone and the phone number.
Each transaction will have a receipt which will produce a printout of the telephone number, the amount paid to replenish the account, the current total in the phone and a transaction code which GT&T can use to track the transaction.
The account can be replenished with any amount between $1,000 and $10,000, including $1,200 or $9,990, Hunte said.
There are more than 70 vendors in operation around the country and the number will be rapidly increased shortly, he added.
Manager, Marketing and Sales, Ms Faye Wharton explained that possession of the phone is not necessary to recharge the account and this can be done by someone at some other part of the country.
She explained that if a child is on vacation in Linden, for example, and the account is depleted, that child can call his parent in Georgetown and the transaction can be done by the parent.