Telekomunikacja Polska paid a fine of 1.2 million zloty for failure to submit to the decision of The President of UOKiK on the incorrect service provided to the subscribers using the “Blue Line”. Since the beginning of this year the entrepreneurs fined by the Office have paid over 7 million zloty into the State budget

In April 2004 The President of UOKiK found that the irregularities committed by Telekomunikacja Polska (Polish Telecom) when it launched a new system of client relations management (based on the so-called “Blue Line”) infringed the collective consumer interest and ordered the TP to introduce changes with immediate effect. In its decision UOKiK specified eleven obligations which the company had to fulfil. The operator did not appeal against the decision and announced that it would abide by it. Nevertheless, the Office was still receiving complaints about the company activities, therefore a fine for failure to abide by obligations specified in UOKiK decision was imposed.

In the original ruling concerning the fine issued in March 2005, the Office specified six obligations which were not met by TP SA in due time. The imposed fine amounted to 4.2 million zloty. The Operator decided to appeal from UOKiK ruling in respect of the financial sanctions. The Office examined the case once again and changed its decision and partially took into account the legitimacy of the TP appeal. The President of UOKiK acknowledged the implementation of his decision in respect to two obligations and changed the amount of fine imposed in relation to other two obligations. No decision concerning the remaining two obligations has been adopted. Still underway are proceedings concerning the implementation of the obligations related to the possibility to settle complaints, which do not require any additional operations, by the “Blue Line” call centre staff, as well as to recover the outstanding and current debts and to suspend questionable cases and complaints and to pay compensations for unjustified disconnections.

In accordance with the Act on competition and consumer protection, The President of UOKiK imposes a fine (which may amount to EUR 500 - 10 000 per day) on the entrepreneur for each day of delay in failure to abide by a binding decision. The Office found that TP was guilty of two serious delays during implementation of the changes in the system of client relations management. The outstanding complaints, claims, notifications and orders were addressed in 141 days after the deadline indicated by UOKiK, and the changes to the invoicing system (division of invoicing periods in time and providing information on liabilities of a given client on the invoice) are made in 215 days after the deadline. Should TP not abide by the decision, the financial sanction based on the amounts EUR 1500 and EUR 500, respectively.

The fine imposed for TP practices amounted to 1.2 million zloty. The Office found that this amount corresponded to the operator conduct, as TP did not undertake any effective actions to improve the customer service system as far as the customers rights were concerned. The operator did not appeal against the decision of the Office and the imposed fine was paid on the 18 April 2006.

Since the beginning of this year 29 entities have paid fines of 7.1 million zloty imposed by the Office for infringement of antimonopoly regulations. The highest fines of about 4.5 million zloty in total for the abuse of the market position were paid by Poczta Polska (Polish Post).
The fines paid constitute the income of the State budget.

Additional information:
Elżbieta Anders, UOKiK Press Spokesperson
Department of International Relations and Communication
Office of Competition and Consumer Protection
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Phone 22 827 28 92, 55 60 106, 55 60 314
E-mail: eanders@uokik.gov.pl