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Orange Polska SAPoland's antitrust regulator lays charges against Orange and T-Mobile for misleading offers
Poland's antitrust and consumer protection regulator UOKiK has brought charges against listed telco operator Orange and T-Mobile in connection with presenting prices in a manner that may mislead consumers, UOKiK said in a statement. Orange has also been charged with losing a discount for combining services in the event of late payment of a bill. Both companies face a penalty of up to 10 percent of their annual turnover.
It was reported that the operators presented prices that included optional discounts as if they were standard prices.
"The assessment of the attractiveness of a telecommunications offer is often based on the price presented. However, the way in which it is presented by businesses sometimes makes it difficult for consumers to compare offers reliably," the statement said.
"This applies, among other things, to the marketing activities carried out by Orange and T-Mobile, against which UOKiK has brought charges," it added.
It was pointed out that both companies offer their subscribers discounts for, among other things, using electronic invoices or giving marketing consents.
In the course of the investigations, UOKiK determined that the prices of services including these discounts are presented by Orange and T-Mobile as the standard price. This is the case both in advertising messages and during telephone sales conversations with consultants.
If the allegations are confirmed against both Orange and T-Mobile, they face a penalty of up to 10 percent of their annual turnover.
It was pointed out that these companies are not the only telecoms companies against which the UOKiK has brought charges. Similar charges have previously been brought against Vectra, Multimedia Polska, P4 (operator of the Play network) and Netia, among others.
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