10.01.2024

The affordability of telephone and internet services is linked, inter alia, to the users’ receiving information on the costs incurred and to the ability to keep a check on their expenses. In addition to the usual standard bill, which is issued on a regular basis, electronic communications services users can also request an itemised bill in order to monitor and control more effectively the expenditure generated by the use of those services. ANCOM comes to the aid of telephone and internet services users with changes in regarding the issuance of detailed bills.

 

Itemised bill

Itemised bills for electronic communications services may be issued upon the user’s request, in the format indicated by them, regardless of their capacity a natural or a legal person and of the payment method used (prepaid card or subscription-based), within 5 working days from the registration date of the request.

Itemised bills must include at least information such as: charging period, monthly subscription fee, total amount charged (including VAT) and - where applicable - charges for additional services used and additional traffic consumed, connection/installation/reconnection/disconnection fees, respectively those for leasing or purchasing equipment. Itemised bills must also detail bonuses and discounts granted to users.

Moreover, based on the service provided, itemised bills must contain specific information such as:

• for voice, SMS and MMS services:
  • full details of calls and messages sent, including telephone number, date and time, duration, tariff applied (for the tariff applied in international roaming, the country whose time zone was used in issuing the itemized bill will be specified);
  • values for calls and messages, by types of networks, whether they were international, in roaming, or to premium rate numbers;
• for internet access services:
  • the date and time of starting each data session, the volume of traffic consumed/session, the total tariff applied for the session/group of sessions based on the charging unit;
  • the number of hours/volume of traffic included in the subscription (traffic limit), as well as additional traffic generated after reaching the number of hours/volume of traffic included in the subscription, if applicable;
  • the minimum traffic metering unit, as well as the method of rounding a session, if applicable;
  • the rate applicable per minimum unit used for traffic metering.

Itemised bills may be provided in the form of paper invoices, by means of a letter, or as electronic invoices, sent to the e-mail address or to the customer account. Providers can issue itemised bills for a fee, but they have the obligation to offer it by at least one free of charge means, of the two mentioned above.

These updated regulations meet the European legal requirements and evince once more ANCOM's commitment to promote end-users' interests in the field of electronic communications. In the current context of digital technology, ANCOM encourages users to opt for receiving invoices in electronic format, including itemised invoices. Electronic invoices provide immediate access to information, help reduce paper consumption and minimize environmental impact. Furthermore, electronic invoices are easy to store and manage electronically, simplifying the archiving process and the tracking of expenses.

 

About what, how and where you can complain

If, after consulting their itemised bill, a user challenges how the services have been charged, they can address a complaint to the provider. The maximum term for challenging the invoiced amounts is specified in the contract and, as a rule, it spans 30 days from the issuance date of the invoice. ANCOM recommends sending a written complaint and requesting a registration number. If a user is dissatisfied with the provider’s solution to the complaint, they can address the National Authority for Consumer Protection.

Warning! According to their own Complaint Handling Procedures, providers may accept postponing the payment of the invoiced/disputed amount until the complaint has been settled or they may request payment of the entire invoice by the due date, refunding the disputed amount in case of favorable resolution of the complaint (it is usually deducted from the next invoice).

ANCOM can step in where your provider fails to issue itemised bills upon request, as described above, or if these bills do not contain the minimum information provided by law. Complaints can be sent here.  

ANCOM’s InfoCentre

Further details on distance contracts are available on ANCOM’s InfoCentre.