Karolina (name changed, known to the editorial staff) says that she did not see any monthly fee of 7 euros in the contract and did not agree to it, moreover she only wants to pay for specific equipment and no for certain “groups”.
“Three years ago, I bought a number (package) and later an Internet router from Bitė. On the first page of the router contract, the price was just for Internet and the router, which I signed.
A few months later, I bought two more phones, a tablet. As their accounts were not very clear before, I did not go into them in depth. Lots of descriptions, a few numbers,” says Karolina.
According to her, it turned out that she was paying 7 euros per month for a group of numbers she had not known for at least two years.
“The fees were noted in the router contract on the very last page under ‘additional services.’ I didn’t even see that page when signing the contract,” the woman recounts.
Jaunius Špakauskas, Head of Corporate Communications at “Bitė Lietuva”, comments that the charges indicated by the customer are applied when using the service of the “Internet Packages” user group.
“This discontinued service allowed you to purchase up to 5 SIM cards for internet services at a lower price than combining 5 separate payment plans. The fee is part of the plan, so it is non-refundable. L The aforementioned option allowed customers who purchase several services at the same time to save money,” comments the representative.
“As far as we can see after reviewing the circumstances of the situation, the customer has been properly advised of the rates, terms of the contract and has agreed to these terms of the service contract. This has also been confirmed by successful payments for services rendered for several years”, explains the representative.
He added that when looking for a compromise, the customer was offered the alternative of renewing the payment plan without using the service of the “Internet Plans” user group, thus also avoiding these charges.
“We always invite customers to contact Bitė specialists – we look for the most suitable solution for both parties and we try to ensure the easiest and smoothest possible use of our services and devices”, says J. Špakauskas.
Caroline, however, is reluctant to endorse such taxation.
“They started explaining that there is a rule that everyone who takes a new number gets that group and after that they can take more numbers and everything is concentrated in that group, that I get discounts at because of this group. Absolutely absurd,” the woman wonders.
Karolina said she filed a request with the Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) and lodged a complaint with the company, but so far has not received a response from the latter.
“If I buy a device with a plan, I pay the amount I agreed. Why do they have to collect in certain groups and offer additional charges?” – asks the customer.
Karolina said that even after one of the contracts expired last year, she had to pay 7 euros.
“They told me that if there is at least one number left from this group, this fee is still charged,” explains the woman.
Indeed, the special conditions transmitted by it specify: “a group without an active SIM card is automatically deleted. The group charge only applies if a new group of SM cards is activated. If the SIM card is connected to a previously connected group, the EUR 7 fee will not be applied.”
The tariffs indicate that the “Mobile Unlimited GB” payment plan applies a monthly service charge for a group of SIM cards (a group can have up to 5 SIM cards) – 7 euros, a monthly charge for a SIM card – 19 euros, a monthly flat rate for a SIM card with a discount valid for 36 months – 5.7 euros.
Asked if she was surprised by the higher bills she had been receiving for some time, Karolina said she hadn’t paid attention to them because she had bought many appliances, including the aforementioned phones, tablets and smartwatches.
The Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) could not confirm or deny that the woman had applied (on the grounds of data protection), but said that at present the agency had not received no complaints about the named charges.
“However, the user must be informed of all charges that are applied on the basis of the contract. It should also be noted that each dispute situation at the RRT is examined individually, according to the explanations and evidence provided by the parties to the dispute,” says Ugnė Karbočiūtė, adviser to the legal protection and consumer rights group of the RRT.
“When a user contacts us, we recommend that he first contact the service provider in writing with a complaint, which includes complaints and requests. Such a procedure in the event of a dispute with a service provider is provided for by legal acts “, she added.
According to RRT, the service provider, in turn, has an obligation to assess the user’s complaint and respond to it within 14 days. In the event that the situation is not resolved, for example if the user receives a negative response or the service provider does not respond at all, the user has the right to approach the RRT with a request for examination of the dispute.
“The request submitted by RRT must be signed, accompanied by the request, a complaint addressed to the service provider, or/and the service provider’s response, the available contractual documents and the other available evidence justifying the circumstances of the dispute indicated by the user,” says U. Karbočiūtė.
Source: The Delfi
