ACM sharpening supervision of compliance with telemarketing rules

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) will be on 1 July Strictly enforce companies who do not comply with the telemarketing rules. This is mainly the rule that people must have given explicit permission to be called. Violators risk fines and penalty payments.

The stricter action is a new step in the long -term battle of the regulator against misleading sales conversations, especially in the energy sector. Since the liberalization of the energy market in 2004, the watchdog has been overwhelmed by complaints about energy suppliers with ‘a very special offer with which you can save considerably on your energy bill’. Many of these phone calls turn out to be misleading and often ends in long -term, expensive contracts.

Stricter rules now apply: telemarketers can therefore only call people when the permission is verified. « Ever checked something on a website is therefore not enough, » says a ACM spokesperson. They must also be clear about the goal and the consequences of their offer. Nevertheless, the ACM still receives many complaints: « Telemarketing is always the most complaining. »

In order to point out companies again, the ACM organized a meeting with energy and telecom providers on 27 March. In addition, the watchdog calls on consumers to continue to report abuses: « The more insight we are in where things go wrong, the more effective we can act. »

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