Charges were brought against the operator of the Play network – P4 – and Netia – the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection reported. They concern presenting prices in a way that may be misleading. The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection explained that companies' advertisements show prices that include a discount, for example a marketing discount, which the consumer may not be aware of.
Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) in a statement emphasized that consumers they should be “clearly informed about how much they are paying and for what, as well as what the possible conditions of this price are.”
The president of the antitrust office questioned the practices of two telecommunications operators, i.e. the owner of Play – P4 and Netia, and brought charges against the companies. They concern presenting prices “in an amount that takes into account optional discounts in a way that may be misleading.”
If the allegations are confirmed, P4 and Netia will face a fine of up to 10%. turnover.
Method of price presentation
As he explained, in operators' advertising messages and during telephone sales calls, they present the prices of their services after taking into account discounts. These are discounts – PLN 5 per month for expressing marketing consents and for choosing an invoice in electronic form. The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection pointed out that the consumer may not know that the price is conditional on something.
“Depending on the means of communication (advertising, conversation with a consultant), companies do not present the price without discounts or information about the types and amounts of discounts included in the price, or they do it in an illegible manner or at too late a stage of concluding the contract,” the office pointed out. He added that customers who do not use e-invoices or do not agree to marketing must pay a monthly subscription fee of PLN 10 higher than the one offered.
Tomasz Chróstny, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, quoted in the announcement, said that this may be misleading. “Entrepreneurs – by providing a lower price – gain the interest of customers who do not know that the offer requires meeting additional conditions,” he explained. According to Chróstny, consumers have “the right to expect that the price given in advertisements and by the telephone consultant is the one they will pay.”
Price information should be clear and legible
The antitrust office emphasized that price information should be clear and legible, and companies should provide prices that are not subject to any conditions.
“If they also present the price after discounts for meeting specific requirements, then they are obliged to indicate what the discount applies to, its amount and the rules for granting it,” he noted.
Other activities related to presenting prices of telecommunications services are also underway – reminded the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.
Companies comment
Ewa Sankowska-Sieniek from the Play press office noted in her position that the subscription after discounts has been communicated by Play and other operators for over a decade and is a market standard. – Discounts are naturally attractive to customers and almost every consumer uses them. Play informs customers about discounts in a transparent way, she noted.
She emphasized that Play will cooperate with the president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection in this matter. – It is crucial for the regulator to ensure consistency of practices among all operators operating on the market. A selective approach will not only distort the conditions of competition, but above all will cause information chaos for many millions of customers, she added.
Netia's spokesman, Karol Wieczorek, said that the company had received a notice of initiation of the proceedings and was currently analyzing them. – We have been in dialogue with the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection regarding the presentation of prices and discounts for a long time and in this spirit we will try to clarify any doubts of the regulator – assured the representative of Netia.
According to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, other activities related to presenting prices of telecommunications services are also underway. The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) reminded that the president of the office has already brought charges against Vectra and Multimedia, and is conducting explanatory proceedings in the case of Orange, CANAL+, T-Mobile and Polkomtel (Plus network operator).
Main photo source: Shutterstock