Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) proceedings will determine whether telecom providers broke the law by preventing customers from using unused funds purchased on phone cards.
UOKiK has initiated proceedings against Orange Polska, P4, Polkomtel and T-Mobile Polska, the four largest telecommunications service providers in Poland.
UOKiK will challenge the companies’ practice of not returning unused funds to consumers when their prepaid cards have expired. By way of example, consumers who buy 25 PLN of phone credit are given a certain number of days to use the credit. If they then fail to purchase a top-up, the unused funds are forfeited the day after the card’s validity period has expired. This may discourage consumers from exercising their right to change service providers. That risk is compounded by the fact that the pre-paid card market changes rapidly, with the operators constantly introducing promotions aimed at consumers not tied to a monthly plan.
