The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) has issued a warning to two companies in Tampere that provide high-rise window-cleaning services, emphasizing the importance of adhering to competition law. The FCCA's concerns arose from reports indicating that these companies may have engaged in customer allocation, which is a violation of competition rules.

According to a representative from one of the cleaning companies, there was an agreement with a competitor to assign certain customers to that competitor. This led to the company intentionally not responding to requests for quotes from those customers, raising red flags for the FCCA.

The FCCA highlighted that each company must independently decide its market conduct and that any agreements to divide customers or market areas are strictly prohibited. Companies must not communicate with each other to influence market behavior or disclose their planned actions.

In response to the alleged conduct, the FCCA has advised the companies to conduct a self-assessment of their business practices to ensure compliance with competition law. While the FCCA typically seeks penalties for serious violations, in this instance, it opted to send advisory letters rather than pursue a detailed investigation, prioritizing cases with significant national economic implications.

The FCCA has closed its file on this matter but retains the option to reopen the case if new information arises that suggests a significant restriction of competition.