• TeleGo mobile network operator might mislead consumers.
• It is clear from consumer complaints that company representatives might hold themselves out to be the consumer's current telephone operator.
• The President of UOKiK Tomasz Chróstny initiated proceedings against the entrepreneur.

The TeleGo Company from Warsaw provides fixed-line and mobile telecommunications services, Internet access services and telecare services. The Office has received numerous complaints that when calling consumers with a proposal to conclude a contract and then visiting them at home, the company’s representatives may indicate or imply that they represent their current telephone operator. Consumers may thus be led to believe that the conversation and the documents they are presented with concern only the amendment of contractual terms with their current provider and not the conclusion of a contract with a new operator.

Another allegation is that the failure to provide consumers with a model statement or withdrawal form may make it difficult for them to withdraw from an off-premises contract. Some complaints indicate that company representatives do not leave signed documents at all or deliver them late, so consumers are not able to verify what contract they signed and with whom.

-  Consumers may not have received full and accurate information from TeleGo representatives about the offer and the entrepreneur with whom they are signing a contract. Complaints indicate that signing documents was usually done in a hurry, and consumers did not have an opportunity to read the full content of the contract. The company's activities may to a large extent affect the elderly who are a particularly vulnerable social group  - says the President of UOKiK Tomasz Chróstny.

If the allegations are confirmed, TeleGo faces a penalty of up to 10 per cent of its annual turnover. In the past, several companies were imposed penalties by the President of UOKiK for impersonating the consumers' existing operators. For example, this was the case for PGT(Telefonia Polska Razem), Telekomunikacja Cyfrowa, Twoja Telekomunikacja, Nasza SA and Telestrada.

Novum/TeleGo - winning in court

In December 2020, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision issued in the Novum case. As was stated in the decision of the President of UOKiK, Novum misled consumers, for example by giving them the impression that the consultant that contacted them was an employee of the operator with whom they had a contract, and thus was imposed a fine of over PLN 480 thousand. TeleGo acquired telecom services from Novum in October 2019.

Consumer Advice:

1. Follow the principle of limited trust with regard to verbal offers, information, proposals to conclude a contract.
2. Request indication of the verbally presented offer, information or proposal in the documents you are about to sign.
3. Allow yourself time to make a decision; do not sign documents and contracts "here and now".
4. Do not sign contracts the meaning of which is not clear and requires further consultation with your closest relations or a lawyer. Do not sign anything in a hurry and before reading it.
5. Be sure and check with whom you are signing a contract.
6. Demand the release of copies of signed documents.
7. If copies of the signed documents are not released, contact the consumer ombudsman in your city or county. You can find a relevant contact  at: pomoc.php.
8. Remember, if you have concluded a remote contract, you can withdraw from it without giving reasons within 14 days. This is the so-called right of reflection, allowing the consumer to examine the goods or service and consider the rationality of purchase.

Consumer assistance:

Phone number 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 - Consumer Helpline
E-mail: [SCODE]cG9yYWR5QGRsYWtvbnN1bWVudG93LnBs[ECODE]
Consumer ombudsman - in your city or county
The Office of Electronic Communications - Consumer Information Centre- 22 33 04 000

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
E-mail: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL