K-Telecom, ArmenTel and Orange Armenia receive stern warning from SCPEC

Chairman of the State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition Artak Shaboyan said today that the commission issued a stern warning to K-Telecom, ArmenTel and Orange Armenia.

Based on the complaints received from Armenian citizens, the commission studied the USB Internet services the companies provide and discovered a number of issues related to the activities of the abovementioned companies.

The reprimand was based on the terms according to which the companies charge Internet payments from contract subscribers for the period when no Internet service was provided.

“According to SCPEC, such a conduct of the companies violates the law “On Electronic Communication” which implies that if the service is terminated, then the subscriber is not obliged to pay for it. Payments should be made for only the used services”, Artak Shaboyan said.

The Commission noted that the abovementioned provision is very often not presented to the subscribers as set, and therefore, they are not being fully informed about the terms when purchasing the USB modem. The study showed that some complications occur when the subscribers apply to dissolve the contract: “This process is often artificially prolonged by the companies and they receive profits without offering any service”, the speaker stated.

“Since  it’s the first time this issue is raised and it refers to the contractual relations between the citizens and the companies, the commission decided to issue a stern warning this time, and to instruct the companies to rectify the violations”, SCPEC Chairman stated.