O2, Vodafone, EE and Three face £1.1bn lawsuit in UK
Four major UK mobile networks are facing a £1.1bn lawsuit alleging overcharging of long-term customers after their contracts expired.Summary
O2, Vodafone, EE, and Three are facing a class action lawsuit in the UK, seeking at least £1.141 billion in damages for allegedly overcharging approximately 10.9 million loyal customers. The claim, initiated by consumer rights expert Justin Gutmann, alleges that these companies continued to charge customers for their handsets even after the initial contractual term had ended. Affected customers could be entitled to up to £104 per contract. The Competition Appeal Tribunal has approved the case to proceed to trial, automatically including qualifying customers unless they opt out. Gutmann stated, “For far too long the phone companies have been taking advantage of their loyal customers,” and called for an end to “loyalty penalties.” While the original claim sought to cover contracts dating back to 2007, the Tribunal limited the scope to contracts between October 2015 and March 2025. The mobile networks have responded, with O2 stating the claim has “no basis,” EE denying the allegations, and VodafoneThree expressing disappointment with the Tribunal’s decision and stating they will “robustly defend” the claim.
(Source：Skynew)