Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has initiated an investigation into the streaming service Viaplay. It has also asked Cyfrowy Polsat and Canal+ Polska “explanations”.
UOKiK says it has received over 40 complaints about Viaplay this year, with sports fans “particularly dissatisfied with the operation of the website and indicate interruptions in access to the service, buffering of transmission, problems with sound and image clipping”.
It adds that doubts have been raised not only by problems with transmissions on the website, but also by the method of handling consumer complaints. The president of UOKiK will examine whether the compensation offered to consumers is adequate to the reported problems.
“The complaints received by UOKIK show that the complaints could be rejected by Viaplay, and the burden of responsibility for streaming problems could be shifted to the consumer by suggesting a weak internet connection, an inappropriate browser or a device that did not meet the requirements. If the company accepted the complaint, it was supposed to offer only a 25% discount. subscription fees for the next month of using the platform.
“Repeated problems with broadcasts may discourage consumers from continuing to use the streaming service, so offering them, as compensation, a discount for further subscription may be inadequate to the situation. The form of redressing the damage should be determined according to its value, in a way that meets the consumer’s interest and agreed with him, and not arbitrarily imposed by the company”.
The investigation into Viaplay could result in the service being fined up to 10% of its turnover.
UOKiK has also asked Cyfrowy Polsat and Canal+ Polska to explain disruptions to their coverage of the Champions League, Premier League and La Liga.
