• Additional coverage for higher premium? If a consumer had failed to respond to such an offer, Compensa Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń na Życie considered this a consent.
• President of UOKiK has challenged this practice and has obliged the company to discontinue it and remedy the consequences of the infringements.
• The insurer must inform its consumers that they may cancel the amendments made to the contract without their consent and recover the premiums collected for additional coverage.

President of UOKiK has issued a decision regarding Compensa Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń na Życie. The charge concerned the offer sent to consumers on the insurance anniversary. This was an extension of the scope of the coverage, for example, for a hospital stay following an accident, in return for a higher premium. The Company required persons not interested in the offer to notify it. Consumers who did not do so and paid the premium in the amount as so far were informed of the underpayment and were called upon to pay the missing amount.

- Important amendments to the insurance contract, such as extending its scope and increasing the premium amount, require an express consent of the consumer. Failure to react to the letter may in no circumstances be considered as such. An entrepreneur must not oblige a consumer to take action on an offer which they are not interested in - says Tomasz Chróstny, President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

In the decision, Compensa was obliged to discontinue the contested practice and remedy its consequences. By dint of the foregoing, it has avoided a fine. Consumers whose insurance contract has been amended without their express consent may request the cancellation of the amendments. In such a situation, Compensa will either reimburse them for the equivalent of the additional coverage premiums levied or count them towards subsequent payments. This applies both to the company's current customers as well as to persons whose insurance contracts have already expired.

For more information, please, read the decision of President of UOKiK.

Consumer Support:

Phone: +48 801 440 220 or +48 222 66 76 76 – consumer helpline
E-mail: porady@dlakonsumentow.pl
Consumer Ombudsmen – in your town or district
Financial Ombudsman – when a complaint has been rejected by a financial institution

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone: 22 55 60 246
Email: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL
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