Proactive Investors - BT Group PLC (LON:BTA) has been fined £2.8 million by Ofcom after EE and Plusnet failed to provide clear contract information to over a million customers before they signed up.
Since June 2022, BT’s EE and Plusnet made 1.3 million sales without providing required contract summaries, affecting at least 1.1 million customers. This breach of consumer protection rules led to the fine, which Ofcom says reflects the seriousness of the violation.
Evidence gathered showed BT was aware from January 2022 that some sales wouldn't meet the June deadline, yet chose not to comply on time, Ofcom said.
The company must now find and reimburse customers wrongly charged exit fees, contact remaining customers to offer cancellation rights, and amend its sales processes to comply with regulations.
Ian Strawhorne, the regulator's enforcement director, emphasised the importance of providers meeting implementation deadlines to maintain consumer confidence in the competitive telecoms market.