site.btaConsumer Protection Watchdog Urges Mobile Operators to Give Customers Paper Copy of Contract before Signing It

The Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP) insists that customers be given a copy of the contract with a mobile operator on paper or another durable medium before signing it, CCP Chair Maria Filipova said at a meeting with representatives of the Alliance of the Technology Industry (ATI).

The insistence was prompted by discrepancies between mobile operators' practices and customers' expectations identified on the basis of an analysis of complaints and alerts received at the Commission, the Ministry of Economy and Industry said in a press release on Thursday.

The participants in the meeting also discussed ways to find a more convenient option for customers to get familiar with the content of the contracts because the turned sales assistant's screen is not the best one.

At the meeting, Filipova proposed ideas intended to raise the level of customers' awareness. She stressed that the discussion is at its initial stage in the CCP's efforts to enhance dialogue between mobile operators and customers.

Regarding the procedure for contract conclusion at retail outlets, the telecoms were requested to instruct their sales assistant to remind customers of their right to get familiar with the contractual terms in advance.