Hungary: Announced GVH consumer protection investigation into DIGI regarding subscription fee raise

On 6 October 2023, the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) announced that it started an investigation into telecommunications provider DIGI Távközlési és Szolgáltató Kft. (DIGI) regarding an increase in subscriber fee and associated conditions for 2023 without clear communication to consumers. Starting from 1 January 2023, DIGI raised subscription fees by adjusting general contract terms, with a further fee correction introduced in May 2023. Reports from the Economic Competition Authority indicate that the company employed inconsistent and conflicting information practices regarding the terms of this price increase as early as November 2022. Based on this information, the GVH suspects that the telecommunications firm's commercial communications may have led consumers to believe that entering into a loyalty contract with the company by 31 December 2022, would keep their subscription fees unchanged for the agreed loyalty period. As a result, the GVH is conducting an investigation to determine if DIGI's information practices influenced consumers to make business decisions they would not have made otherwise and whether this constituted a violation of consumer protection laws.