The properties of coal sold by składywęgla.pl did not match those advertised by the company. Consumers have been misled, inter alia, as far as the calorific value of the coal is concerned. A penalty of nearly PLN 500,000 (ca. 125,000 EUR) has been imposed on the entrepreneur

The company of składywegla.pl is selling coal nationwide. The product is imported. UOKiK and Voivodeship Branches of the Trade Inspection Authority received a number of complaints claiming that the actual properties of coal sold were inferior to those advertised in brochures and press ads. Below are some of the slogans presented in the advertising materials: 0% of contamination; Ours is the only dry coal available. The permanent calorific value of coal was stated as well.

The proceedings against składywęgla.pl were initiated in June 2013. The President of UOKiK has analyzed the company’s press ads, and has ordered laboratory tests to be performed. Opinions of Polish coal producers have been obtained as well. All the materials referred to above indicated that the coal’s parameters did not match the advertised values. Specialist tests ordered by the Trade Inspection Authority have proven that the entrepreneur was overstating, in his advertising materials, the calorific value of the coal sold. Moreover, according to UOKiK the company of składywęgla.pl admitted, in the course of the proceedings, that the majority of the coal they are selling is raw coal. In addition, the company’s explanation show that its coal is hand-cleaned by the staff. In light of the above, it is not possible for the coal to be free from any contamination (e.g. ash). In addition, the entrepreneur was claiming, in an unauthorized manner and without comparing its product with that sold by the competitors, that he was the only source of dry coal in Poland. Many of the consumers have complained about the high water content of that coal.

A fine of PLN 492,472 (ca. 123,000 EUR) has been imposed on składywęgla.pl for misleading the consumers about the quality of the coal sold and about the expected results of its use. The decision is not final and the entrepreneur has appealed against it to court.

Additional information for the media:
Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Phone: +48 22 827 28 92, 55 60 314
Fax +48 22 826 11 86
E-mail: [SCODE]bWFsZ29yemF0YS5jaWVsb2NoQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]