Vectra hit by fine

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Vectra hit by fine
The Polish cable operator Vectra has been fined over PLN1 million (€251,000) by the country’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) for “violating the collective interests of consumers”.

In a statement, the latter says that two years ago it began an investigation into the terms of contracts provided by nine telecom operators, one of which was Vectra. This showed that Vectra used illegal contract terms, and as a result the president of the UOKiK initiated an investigation into the scale and type of practices infringing on consumer interests.

This found that the cable operator imposed additional charges on subscribers for their services to be restarted after they had been cut off for non-payment of bills. It also questioned Vectra’s unwillingness to pay subscribers compensation and reduce their fees unless their services had been disrupted for over 24 hours.

Subscribers were in addition entitled to compensation from the time they notified the operator of a break in their service, rather than when it began. The UOKiK points out that it is currently carrying out 10 other infringement proceedings and eight investigations into providers of triple play services.

This year alone, it has already issued 11 decisions in this regard. Vectra is Poland’s second largest cable operator in Poland after UPC Polska.