The Belgian DTH platform TV Vlaanderen is facing a complaint from the consumer organisation Test Aaankoop over the charges for the current card swap.
At this moment, TV Vlaanderen and its Dutch counterpart Canal Digitaal Satelliet are in the midst of a card swap to Mediaguard 3 to combat piracy of their signals. TV Vlaanderen is charging consumers to its basic package a one-time fee of €12.50 for the new card.
The Test Aankoop organisation claims the charge is illegal, as consumers should be informed of any charges that they will incur during the period of an existing contract. Under Belgian consumer protection law, the DTH platform is not allowed to slap additional costs to the bill.
In The Netherlands, Canal Digitaal Satelliet planned a one-off fee of €9.95 to subscribers of its basic tiers. However, it has been shelved for the time being.