Many Canal+ subscribers in France to receive compensation

French TV channel Canal+ will be offering compensation to customers whose subscription price was forcibly increased in February, 2018.

Eligible subscribers will be entitled to an “individual lump-sum payment of between €20 and €75”, says consumer association UFC-Que Choisir, who released a statement yesterday (June 23).

This result comes as part of a negotiated out-of-court agreement and concludes the collective action that UFC-Que Choisir initially launched in 2021. 

The action came after Canal+ applied a subscription price increase in early 2018 without prior agreement. It had informed subscribers that they could benefit from Canalsat services for an additional fee. However, customers who did not specifically opt-out by February 2018 were added without their consent, seeing their monthly subscriptions increase by between €2 and €5.

The broadcaster was fined “between €3 million and €5 million” by a court in Nanterre in September 2020 in relation to the “forced sale” of subscriptions.

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Who is eligible for compensation?

Affected customers who are still subscribed to Canal+ are eligible for compensation, as well as former customers who cancelled their subscriptions between May 31, 2020 and May 31, 2025. These subscribers should be contacted automatically by Canal+.

Those who cancelled their subscription before May 31, 2020 will have to request compensation and have until the end of the year (2025) to do so. 

This can be done by sending an email to Canal+ at servicesclients@canal-plus.com, or by sending a letter to the following address:

Service Clients CANAL+/CANALSAT

Autorisation 40948

95059 CERGY PONTOISE CEDEX

For the claim to be accepted and processed, customers must include:

• First and last name, current personal postal address and former Canal+ subscriber number;

• A request for the lump-sum compensation offered under the UFC-Que Choisir - Canal+ agreement (e.g. je souhaite bénéficier de l’indemnisation forfaitaire globale proposée dans le cadre de l’accord UFC-Que Choisir–Canal+);

• Proof of subscription to justify eligibility (an email or letter received from Canal+ between February 1, 2018 and May 31, 2020 showing your subscriber number, or a bank statement issued at any time during the same period that clearly shows a debit from Canal+ indicating the increased subscription price).

Customers should receive an acknowledgement receipt once the content of their request has been verified. You will also be notified if any further supporting documents are required. 

The process could take up to six months.

If you encounter any difficulties contact Canal+ by email (see above) or UFC-Que Choisir at accordcanal@quechoisir.org

Note that customers with any outstanding, unpaid Canal+ invoices will not be entitled to any compensation.

How will compensation be paid?

If you are still a Canal+ subscriber, any compensation due will be delivered as a credit note. This will be directly applied as a reduction from subsequent Canal+ subscription invoices and will be processed upon receipt of a completed compensation form. 

For customers who have already cancelled their subscription, Canal+ will send a bank cheque for the amount of the compensation due to the current postal address provided in the compensation request (see above). 

“This cheque will be sent as soon as possible, and no later than six months after receipt of your request for compensation and any necessary supporting documents,” says UFC-Que Choisir.

For full details, visit UFC-Que Choisir’s FAQs web page.

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