Changing the terms and conditions of a subscription contract
Your operator may only increase the price of your ongoing telephone or internet subscription contract, or change its other terms and conditions, if there is a legal basis for the change. The operator must tell you about the change and its reasons in advance, and usually you can also terminate your contract. The operator cannot increase the price or change the terms of a fixed-term subscription during the contract period.
An ongoing contract may only be changed for certain reasons
The price or other terms of an ongoing subscription contract may only be changed in the operator’s favour in the following cases:
- The reason for the changes has been set out in the contract terms.
- The content of the contract as a whole may not change significantly, however.
- The reason for the change is a change in legislation or a decision made by an authority.
- In addition, the operator may make minor changes to the terms and conditions of the contract that do not affect its central content.
You always have the right to terminate an ongoing subscription contract with two weeks’ notice. This means that if you terminate your subscription as soon as the operator tells you that the contract has been changed, the contract will end before the new terms or prices affect you.
A fixed-term contract may only be changed in exceptional cases
The operator may usually not change the terms and conditions of a fixed-term subscription contract during the contract period if the change is unfavourable to the consumer. The terms and conditions can only be changed if the need to change them is based on changes in legislation or decisions made by the authorities.
You can usually also terminate a fixed-term contract during the contract period with two weeks’ notice if the operator has told you about changes in your contract. However, if the change is directly based on a change in laws, for example tax legislation, you cannot terminate the contract.
The operator must tell you about changes in good time
The operator must tell you about any changes to the contract terms at the latest one month before the new terms enter into force. The operator must tell you
- that the contract terms will change
- what the changed terms will contain
- why the changes will be made
- that you have the right to terminate your subscription contract if you do not accept the new terms. If you would like to use your right to terminate the contract, you must do so within three months of the date on which the operator informs you about the changes.
The operator must tell you about the change clearly and in language that is easy to understand. You must get the information in writing or in some other permanent form. The message about the change may not look like a marketing message or other customer communication; all the information listed here must be stated in the message clearly and in language that is easy to understand.
Contact your operator if necessary
If your operator has increased the price of your subscription contract, changed the other contract terms in a way that is unfavourable to you without a reason defined in the law, or not told you about the changes in the contract terms as required by the law, you may demand that the operator continues your contract under the old terms. In this case, you should tell the operator about your demands as soon as possible.
If your complaint to the operator does not lead to the result you hoped for, contact the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority’s Consumer Advisory Services. They provide free guidance, instructions and help with mediation if there is a dispute.