Multiple sources have brought to our attention a troubling pattern involving DStv Kenya dealers, where customers report being handed decoders already pre-registered under other names, with several reports emerging from individuals who say they encountered unethical conduct by authorized dealers during the purchase and registration of DStv decoders and streaming accounts.
One user described purchasing a new DStv decoder, complete with payment for activation, only to discover, while setting up the MyDStv app, that they couldn’t log in.
After contacting customer service, they were told the decoder was already registered a year earlier under a different name.
The only solution offered was to visit a service center in person.
Others report being contacted via social media after making inquiries about DStv products.
Instead of being taken through the standard purchase process, some customers say they were discreetly approached (often via social media or messaging apps) by individuals believed to be part of a wider scheme offering access to DStv Stream accounts at reduced monthly rates.
These accounts appear to be already in use, suggesting an organized resale of pirated or misused credentials linked to pre-registered decoders.
Similar experiences have emerged with GOtv decoders, where users found multiple people logged into their GOtv Stream accounts shortly after activation.
These accounts suggest that some dealers are exploiting loopholes in the system, reselling used decoders and monetizing streaming accounts without customer knowledge.
This has left many wondering how widespread this operation might be and what safeguards, if any, are in place to protect new customers.
“Hello Nyakundi. I just discovered that something goes on within those DStv dealers. First is that I learned when I consult them through their social media accounts, someone DMs me to ask if I have a smart TV so that they can send details of their DStv Stream accounts for just Kes 1500 per month. Second is that I went to purchase a new DStv decoder and I paid for everything, including activation fee. So when I was setting up the MyDStv app through my phone, I found out that I cannot log in because someone else is logged in. I called their customer service and they told me that my decoder has been registered a year ago under the name Linda. But I told them I have just bought it a few hours ago. They told me it is already registered under someone else and to change that, I need to visit their customer service centre. Now I connected that these guys (dealers) have already registered and run those accounts so that when you buy and subscribe to their packages, they just access it wherever they are and tend to sell to those people willing to pay and get connected via the streaming platform. I have discovered this trend because I purchased my GoTV decoder two years ago and it was the same. When I created my GoTV stream, I found four other people in my GoTV stream. It has again happened with my DStv decoder. Illegal business going on there at the expense of innocent people.”
