Australia: ACCC concerned over Vodafone billing services

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has probed Vodafone about the telecoms company’s content services and billing, months after slugging competitor Telstra with a AUD$10 million (US$7.1 million) fine over a similar service.

Vodafone rival Singtel Optus may also face a AUD$10 million fine over a billing arrangement that potentially misled more than 240,000 customers by charging a fee with one click for ringtones and subscriptions they may not have intended to buy.

A Vodafone spokeswoman said the telecom offers direct carrier billing subscription services for Norton and Spotify, as well as one-off arrangements for some TV competitions and 1800 Reverse services.

“We have recently taken steps to ensure all new postpaid customers are advised at sign-up that Direct Carrier Billing is automatically provisioned,” the spokeswoman said, noting complaints about this service were “extremely low.”

Full Content: The Canberra Times

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