GO, Epic to rollback extra charges for customers who do not pay using direct debit

Consumer Affairs Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli has announced telecommunications companies will rollback tariffs for customers who do not pay using direct debit.

GO, Epic and Melita had imposed a charging a fee on consumers who opted not to pay by direct debit last June.

The move stems from the EU directive PSD2, which enforces a discounting – rather than a charging – mechanism. Malta’s Central Bank had said telecommunications companies must revisit the way they bill customers and how charges are represented in the bill.

The issue was flagged by Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba, who had claimed consumers were being misled into paying the extra charge.

GO had replied to the accusation by saying it was actually discounting the price for its direct debit clients.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, minister Farrugia Portelli said that after a series of meetings, two telecommunications companies – GO and Epic – have agreed to roll back their prices until an Officer for Competition investigation is concluded.

GO have also agreed to refund clients who had to pay the extra charges during July.