The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection brought charges against the companies Vectra and Multimedia Polska. It’s about subscription prices and discounts

Małgorzata Cieloch, spokeswoman for the Office, said that the incorrect way of presenting the price makes it difficult for the consumer to compare the offers of Vecrta and Multimedia Polska with the offers of companies that honestly present the standard price. In the opinion of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, such a practice by both entrepreneurs may violate the collective interests of consumers. If the allegations are confirmed, the companies may face a fine of up to 10 percent of annual turnover.

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection brought charges against the companies Vectra and Multimedia Polska. He spotted fraud

Both companies offer discounts for using electronic invoices, expressing marketing consents and making payments on time. You can get PLN 5 discount for each of these three items. In the course of the proceedings, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection determined that the price of services including these discounts is presented as a standard price, which may be misleading. This is to take place both in marketing messages and during sales conversations with the consultant.

The consumer is to be encouraged by an attractive offer of a fixed-line Internet subscription or a broader package of services that includes it, but does not immediately receive clear information that, for example, failure to grant specific consents (for marketing and e-invoices) or their withdrawal will result in higher fees – points out UOKiK.

– Consumers should receive clear and legible information in the marketing message or at the beginning of a telephone sales conversation about how much they will pay for the service and what the possible terms of this price are. If entrepreneurs provide a price that includes a discount, they should clearly communicate it by also indicating the type of discount and its amount – says Tomasz Chróstny, President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

Will you be late with your invoice? As a penalty, you will lose your discount

Another violation of consumer rights noticed by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection concerns penalties for delays or arrears in payments, which is related to the first problem. The customer is supposed to hear that he will pay a price that includes numerous discounts. However, these can be undone. And this is what Vectra and Multimedia Polska are supposed to do when arrears appear on the account. They may concern not only subscription fees for landline Internet, to which the discount received is related, but also all other payments that may be included in one invoice. Only after paying outstanding fees and current fees can you get your discount back.

In the opinion of the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, the loss of a discount for failure to pay an invoice on time may constitute a contractual penalty. Meanwhile, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Code, entrepreneurs may stipulate this type of sanctions only in the case of non-monetary obligations. In the case in question, the operators were to reserve the right to punish subscribers twice. Regardless of the withdrawal of discounts, they may charge interest for delays in payment.

These are not the only actions taken by the office regarding similar practices of telecommunications companies. Proceedings are underway against P4, CANAL+ and T-Mobile regarding punishing consumers with the loss of one of the discounts due to failure to pay the invoice on time. This aspect is also analyzed in the ongoing explanatory proceedings regarding Netia and Orange. Moreover, in the above-mentioned explanatory proceedings and those concerning CANAL+, P4 and T-Mobile, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection checks how operators present prices of telecommunications services.