The Polish antitrust and consumer protection authority UOKiK has ordered the telecommunications provider T-Mobile $DTE (+0,7%) to compensate consumers who have lost their discounts due to late bill payments, as the authority announced in a statement.
"Consumers are required to fulfill their obligations in a timely manner, and the law provides certain consequences for failure to do so. This does not include withdrawing discounts and adding their value to the basic monthly fee. Such a practice is an unfair penalty on the part of the entrepreneurs. It violates the law and harms the interests of consumers," explained Tomasz Chrostny, head of UOKiK, in the statement.
According to the statement, T-Mobile discontinued the objectionable practice immediately after the proceedings were initiated, introduced new contract templates and discontinued the verification of timely payment when determining whether consumers retain discounts in a given billing period.
The head of the UOKiK issued a commitment decision obliging the company to provide compensation to eligible consumers.
Once the decision is final, T-Mobile will inform its customers via its website, the "Moj T-Mobile" app, social media and individual correspondence, indicating the compensation due and the method and deadline for receiving it.