Melita, GO and Epic Under Investigation After Announcing New Charges At The Same Time
Malta’s three telecommunications firms – Melita, GO and Epic – are being investigated by the Competition Office for alleged cartel activity after they announced new charges at the same time.
This questionable behaviour was first flagged by PL MEP Alex Agius Saliba, who said the three companies had recently all sent out letters to consumers to inform them that people who don’t pay via direct debit will be charged an additional monthly tariff of between €1 to €2.
Agius Saliba said the companies had originally tried to seek an exemption from a law obliging telecommunications companies to inform their clients of any new tariffs and give them 30 days exit the contract without getting penalised.
“The Malta Communications Authority rejected this request and therefore the companies agreed among each other to send these letters to consumers at the same time.”
He warned that this move will likely have the most impact on pensioners who aren’t comfortable with online banking services.
After he flagged the case, Minister for Inclusion and Consumer Affairs Julia Farrugia Portelli announced that she has asked the Competition Office to investigate whether the telecommunications companies are breaching competition law.
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