‘Internet+’ costs warning
Orange has been obliged to repay an internet customer more than €700 for bills he racked up unknowingly because he was automatically subscribed to its services Contact+ and Internet+.
The services enable users to pay for various extras on websites (such as subscriptions or providing extra information) without giving their bank details. However, reportedly some users may be unaware of making payments because it happens so easily.
The customer in question went to court after finding he had been billed substantial sums – that he had not known about – over a two-year period. The problem had been compounded by an error which meant he had not been receiving his (directly debited) bills.
The Contact+ and Internet+ services were ones which users had to opt ‘out’ of if they did not want them.
The tribinal de proximité of Paris’s court said they should have been requested with the customer’s full knowledge and there was no evidence of this.
Orange has not appealed and in fact no longer offers Contact+ as of last year. However, it continues to provide Internet+ as a default option to those taking out internet packages.
To turn it off you have to visit your personal space on the site, then go to Offres et options > Maîtriser vos usages > Modifer vos autorisations > Gérer votre autorisation d’achats internet+.
Click on modifier and change from Autorisé to Bloqué.
Connexion understands that some other internet operators have similar schemes – despite the fact that the 2014 Hamon Law on consumer rights bans offering any ‘pre-ticked’ options for paid-for services in contracts.
