Vilnius 1st District Court said that it has decided that the debt administration service that Teo LT unilaterally provides to private individuals and the 5 litas (EUR 1.45) fee it charges for it, as well as the additional service resumption fee of 15 litas, are unlawful. The company has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Vilnius Regional Court.
The district court handed down the ruling in a suit brought by the association Vartotojų Balsas (Consumers' Voice) to protect the public interest of consumers.
"The defendant introduced additional payments that had not been provided for in contracts. The defendant actually changed the terms of contracts by introducing such fees," the court said.
The court ruled that Teo LT had failed to properly inform new customers about the fees.
Teo LT spokesman Antanas Bubnelis told BNS that the company plans to appeal the decision.
"We believe that these fees are fair and lawful," he told BNS.
Many other service providers, including communications and TV services providers, charge similar fees, because the restriction and resumption of services involves additional costs, the spokesman said.
