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Portuguese Decree-Law no. 59/2021 regulates the applicable regime to the provision and dissemination of telephone lines for consumer contact

Portugal - 

Portugal IP Alert

Decree-Law no. 59/2021 published on July 14 clarified and densified the rules to which the provision of telephone lines for consumer contact is subject.

Calls made to telephone lines provided by suppliers of goods or service providers within the scope of a legal consumer relationship cannot exceed the value of their base tariff, which is understood as "the cost of a common telephone communication that the consumer expects to support in accordance with the respective telecommunications tariff”.

Failure to comply with the above constitutes a very serious administrative offence. The lack of clear and visible information for consumers in commercial communications, on the website, in invoices, in written communications and in contracts entered into, on the available telephone numbers and the respective cost of calls, constitutes a serious administrative offence. When it is not possible to present a single price for the call, as it varies depending on the origin and destination network, the information “Call to the national fixed network” or “Call to the national mobile network” shall be alternatively rendered, according to the circumstances of the case.

These administrative offenses give rise to the payment of fines whose amounts vary depending on the size of the offending companies.

This Decree-Law enters into force on November 1, 2021, but article 8 on applicable fines will only take effect from June 1, 2022.