Innbucks is a mobile online payment service introduced in 2021 by fast-food retailer Simbisa Brands. It allows users or customers to fund their Innbucks accounts with up to $200 in US currency. This can then be used to make purchases at any Simbisa retailer nationally, redeem the cash, or send it to another Innbucks user.
Simbisa outlets include Chicken Inn, Pizza Inn, Creamy Inn, Bakers Inn, Fish Inn, Haefelis, Grab and Go, Nando’s, and Steers. You can also use this app to make purchases for someone not in the same place as you are, with no additional service charges. Additionally, you can withdraw money from any Simbisa location countrywide without incurring any service charges.
Innbucks USSD Service Downtime
Earlier this week, through yesterday, April 13th, InnBucks’ USSD platform had difficulties. Users would receive an error message indicating that the USSD service was unavailable. As a result, users were forced to do transactions via the app.
In a since-deleted tweet, InnBucks stated that they collaborated with Econet specialists to remedy the issue. That struck me as odd. What prompted the deletion of that tweet? The problem appears to have been resolved, and the *569# platform is now operational.
Some Misinformation About Innbucks USSD Next Move
However, the well-known information asymmetry in Zimbabwean corporations’ departments resurfaced. At several Simbisa locations, some InnBucks customers were informed that the USSD platform was being phased out, favoring the mobile app.
This ‘development,’ which turned out to be incorrect, really irritated a friend of mine. He erased specific files from his phone to make room for the software to download.
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He did not appreciate needing to purchase a bundle for that purpose as someone in a hurry. His annoyance was exacerbated by various network issues, which resulted in the withdrawal exercise taking over an hour.
USSD is Not Going Away
We contacted InnBucks and were able to debunk the reports that had circulated on social media. The USSD platform is here to stay. As InnBucks put it,
The early this week USSD outage was caused by an internal system upgrade.
The service has been restored and is again stable; however, we will continue to watch the situation closely. *569# is NOT being phased out. I was relieved to hear this because it would have been a mistake to phase out the USSD platform.
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However, the stated reason raises several concerns. Earlier tweets implying that it was a technical issue have been deleted. Why? Now, we’re told it was an internal system upgrade.
That I find difficult to believe. An unannounced internal system upgrade in the middle of the week? This makes them appear careless, and as a result, I’m left perplexed about what’s going on here. In my perspective, the ‘technical issues’ justification was a superior one.
Zimbabwean service disruptions
We discussed how Zimbabweans have been socialized to accept service interruptions as usual. That must change, and we must demand more of our service providers. They are not performing a service for us; we are paying for these services and should expect a certain level of availability. This is not a dig at InnBucks; this goes far beyond.
InnBucks, the timing couldn’t be worse.
I’m afraid that in InnBucks’ case, the system upgrade/technical challenge occurred at the worst possible time. Recently, a big player returned to the remittance fight, and this player once ruled the roost – EcoCash.
The previous friend was so turned off by the InnBucks experience that he vowed to return to EcoCash. How many others took such dramatic steps? After all, EcoCash was recently resurrected, and the news is still fresh in the public’s minds.
The decision to leave InnBucks is rash, given that EcoCash has not been without its own network issues. Once more, this is a Zimbabwean phenomenon.
The time has not come for InnBucks to relinquish market share to EcoCash. We need some genuine competition for EcoCash, and I’m not alone in believing that only InnBucks now does. I’d hate to see InnBucks contract.
However, we may be attempting to coerce InnBucks into a conflict they are not interested in. It’s worth noting that InnBucks has never positioned itself as a domestic money transfer service but rather as a rewards and loyalty program.
That is neither here nor there at the moment. We primarily use InnBucks as a remittance service, and we want to continue down this path regardless of our initial intentions. There is sufficient market space for InnBucks, EcoCash, and others.