• Vectra engaged in unfair market practices that violated the collective interests of consumers.
• Despite earlier actions by the President of UOKiK, the company continued to unilaterally amend the provisions of successive contracts and unjustifiably increased subscription fees for television and internet services.
• The President of UOKiK imposed a fine of over PLN 80 million on Vectra and ordered the company to pay compensation to consumers.

The President of UOKiK, Tomasz Chróstny, had previously questioned the changes to the contracts that Vectra had introduced incorrectly. The fine imposed on the company in 2022 and the charges brought in March this year did not, however, persuade the entrepreneur to cease infringing on consumers’ interests.

For years, Vectra unilaterally changed the terms of its contracts with its customers during their term. It unjustifiably introduced a modification clause into the contracts, which, according to the company, was intended to enable unilateral increases in subscription fees and to charge customers the new amount. Consumer complaints confirmed that Vectra was continuing its unlawful activities. Therefore, the President of UOKiK brought charges against the company and then issued a decision.

Deliberate and repeated

– In the previous decision, we made it clear that Vectra’s practices violated the law. However, the company did not change its actions. We do not tolerate the violation of consumers’ rights. Unilateral, unjustified changes to existing contracts and increases in agreed subscription fees are blatant examples of abuse against customers – said the President of UOKiK, Tomasz Chróstny.

The fine imposed on Vectra results not only from the company’s high turnover but also from its lack of response to earlier actions taken by UOKiK, and thus from the deliberate infringement of consumers’ collective interests.

As a result of the company’s actions, consumers had to pay more for each of the services (television and internet) – over the course of a year, these amounts reached up to PLN 144 for customers using both services. In some cases, shortly after concluding a contract, customers found out that the company was preparing or implementing a fee increase. As reported in consumer complaints submitted to UOKiK:

• “Exactly one month after signing the contract, (…) a clause is introduced giving (…) the right to change the price without granting the consumer the right to terminate the contract. As a result, I cannot terminate a contract that has been unilaterally altered (…), and the company can set a price for the service that I am forced to pay, leaving me with no option but to pay a subscription fee that does not reflect the original terms”.
• “In practice, without the possibility of terminating the contract for this reason, one month after signing, the company increases the service fees for the majority of the contract term by an amount unknown at the time of signing, making the offer uncompetitive compared with other available options”.

Penalty and compensation

In addition to ordering Vectra to cease infringing on consumer interests and imposing a penalty of PLN 80,789,528, the decision of the President of UOKiK will also result in refunds for customers. Once the decision becomes final, Vectra will be required to inform consumers and reimburse them for the increased subscription fees. Current customers will be entitled to a refund or a discount on their subscription fee, while former customers will receive a full refund.

Regardless of the public compensation that Vectra must pay once the decision is final, consumers still have the option to pursue individual claims through complaints. If these attempts are unsuccessful, they may bring the matter to court under the provisions on unfair market practices and the Civil Code.

The decision is not final. The entrepreneur has the right to appeal to the court.