17.03.2025 | Polish competition authority
The President of the Polish competition authority has repeatedly challenged improper changes made to contracts, particularly in the telecommunications and financial sectors. Vectra has been accused of unilaterally altering service agreements and unlawfully increasing subscription fees without a legal basis.
Vectra allegedly raised its customers' fees by small amounts (between 4 to 7 PLN monthly) based on a modification clause that was introduced without proper legal grounds. The President of the competition authority stated that such actions disrupt market competition and harm compliant participants.
Another accusation against Vectra involves the unilateral introduction of an inflation clause into existing contracts, which had previously been deemed an abusive provision by the authority. If the allegations of violating collective consumer interests are confirmed, Vectra could face fines of up to 10% of its turnover and be required to refund unlawfully collected fees.
This is not Vectra's first encounter with the competition authority; in 2019, the authority issued a binding decision regarding the company's unilateral changes to contracts, which resulted in consumer compensation. However, ongoing monitoring and complaints indicated that Vectra continued to violate consumer interests, leading to a fine of over 22 million PLN in late 2022 for similar offenses.
In November 2024, new Electronic Communications Law came into effect, enhancing consumer protection in telecommunications services. The regulations reaffirm the authority's stance on unilateral contract changes, particularly for fixed-term agreements, which can only be modified under limited circumstances beyond the provider's control.
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