Inea fined nearly 2 million PLN by Polish consumer regulator

The Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has imposed a fine of nearly 2 million PLN on the telecommunications operator Inea. The penalty follows investigations into two specific unfair practices.

First, Inea applied termination fees for fixed-term contracts that exceeded the total value of the remaining monthly subscriptions. By setting high equalization fees based on standard price lists rather than actual remaining costs, the company exerted economic pressure on customers, making it more financially viable to continue paying for unused services than to cancel the contract.

Second, the company was found to have automatically activated paid antivirus services without obtaining explicit consent from consumers. As part of the ruling, Inea has been ordered to refund improperly collected fees to affected customers.