Swedish court rules on Hallon customer service accessibility

A Swedish court has ruled that the mobile operator Hallon is not required to display its customer service phone number on its website, despite legal challenges from the Consumer Ombudsman (KO). While the court acknowledged that hiding the number makes it more difficult for consumers to find, it determined that existing customers can access the number through their contracts, meaning the company did not violate the Marketing Act.

However, the court did find that Hallon’s chatbot, ‘Berrys’, provided misleading information. When asked for a phone number, the bot claimed the company was a digital-only operator that did not offer phone support, which was deemed incorrect. The ruling is linked to a potential fine of 500,000 SEK if the company violates future prohibitions.

This legal development occurs amid discussions regarding the Swedish government's intent to tighten supervision of customer service. Proposed measures include the ability to issue fines to companies that fail to handle customer complaints properly.