Broadband and energy company customers to be refunded almost €300k

'PrepayPower has undertaken to come into compliance with the relevant regulatory obligations,' an information notice published by ComReg said.  Picture: Nick Ansell/PA

Refunds of €272,124 are to be made to households by PrepayPower after some 621 people were charged for services they did not request.

The prepay energy and broadband provider, operated by Yuno Ltd, is also to pay a penalty of €9,300 to the communications regulator ComReg.

Some 621 customers were charged for services in circumstances where PrepayPower had no record of the customer requesting the service, ComReg found.

“PrepayPower has undertaken to come into compliance with the relevant regulatory obligations,” an information notice published by ComReg said.

“PrepayPower has issued refunds of €272,124 to customers that were charged for a service they had not requested,” ComReg said.

An investigation by ComReg found that PrepayPower was non-compliant with a number of regulatory requirements in respect of the broadband services it provides.

“In its investigation, ComReg raised concerns regarding the provision of contractual information by PrepayPower, the manner in which PrepayPower’s broadband services were promoted and the provision of services to customers that may not have requested the services.

“ComReg was concerned that the manner in which PrepayPower’s prepay broadband services were promoted, with emphasis on the prepay aspect, daily charge, and on being able to control costs, amounted to an unfair and/or misleading commercial practice as the services were subject to a minimum contractual term and early cancellation fees applied.” 

The minimum duration of the contract was not provided in the contract on a durable medium, PrepayPower did not make available the model cancellation form for the exercise of cooling off rights in the contract that is provided to the customer on a durable medium, ComReg found.

And, some customers were not provided with a copy of their terms and conditions on a durable medium.

Following the investigation, customers looking to switch service providers are to be facilitated and PrepayPower has undertaken to provide the Universal Account Number (“UAN”) in the same manner as their broadband account number. The company is also to notify customers that the UAN that is required when switching service providers has now been made available to them.

ComReg will continue to monitor compliance with the relevant legislation, and where necessary will investigate any matters arising with PrepayPower or other undertakings providing electronic communications services, the regulator said.