Vodafone has agreed to refund customers who were charged for third-party content like ring tones and games they had not agreed to buy or had purchased inadvertently.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) brought the action against Vodafone and is now responsible for enforcing this undertaking.
The undertaking applies to Vodafone third-party content that was purchased over a five-year period between January 1, 2013 and March 1, 2018.
The content in question was marketed and provided by third parties who paid Vodafone a commission for any sales to their customers.
Among the complaints was the fact the customers had unwittingly subscribed to these third-party offers and were unable to end the subscription.
The undertaking also stated Vodafone had referred disgruntled customers to these third-party companies instead of resolving the issue itself.
Vodafone has until November for 2019 to identify and communicate with affected customers.
But Vodafone has avoided any fines unlike Telstra and Optus who were both fined $10 million each earlier this year for similar discretions.
Customers impacted are entitled to a full refund or a credit if they have complained about the issue to Vodafone or the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
If you are unsure whether this refund or credit applies to you, you can contact Vodafone on 1300 650 410.
