Vodafone Fined for Irregularities in Collection of Third-Party Services
Olga Ruiz, president of Facua in Spain, discovered irregularities in her monthly Vodafone bill for March 2021. She had been charged two unauthorized charges of 4.5 euros plus VAT for payments to third parties, despite having previously restricted these payments in a specific way.
FACUA Seeks Cancellation of Invoice and Refund of Erroneous Charges
FACUA Sevilla sent a request to Vodafone to cancel the invoice and return the amount charged in error. Surprisingly, Vodafone accepted that the charges had been made improperly, but the same charges occurred again in April and May.
Third Party Payments Service Explained
The Third Party Payments service allows customers to purchase services from external providers. This service has a limit of 1500 words and requires links to the external services being purchased.
Conclusion
Due to the irregularities in the collection of third-party services, Vodafone was fined 20,100 euros. Olga Ruiz’s case serves as a reminder to be vigilant when reviewing bills and to restrict payments to services in a specific way to avoid unauthorized charges.