Revolut eSIM partner 1Global censured for failures on ‘cooling off’ rights and contract changes
The international telecommunications company 1Global is paying a fine of €10,500 to ComReg over suspected breaches of its requirements to provide contractual information to customers.
It will also be giving refunds to people who were charged for a service but did not receive one. 1Global sells travel data eSIMs through its partner Revolut.
In a statement ComReg said TP Global Operations Limited, trading as 1Global, was fined €10,500 and entered into a resolution agreement following an investigation into suspected breaches of its obligations.
Among the alleged lapses was a failure to provide contractual information on a durable medium to customers, including about their ‘cooling off’ rights and how to cancel.
ComReg also took issue with 1Global telling customers that a publication on the company website was sufficient notice of a contract change, in contravention of the code regulations.
The regulator believed that a code of practice for complaint handling that 1Global published did not comply with the legal requirements. It was also unhappy with 1Global giving zero-rating access to the Revolut app while customers had an active eSIM.
This means data used on Revolut was treated differently from other internet traffic, or that the app remained accessible at a time when other internet services were restricted.
EU rules require internet providers to treat online services equally, and not favour one over another.
ComReg also suspected that 1Global was not giving customers information required under customer-protection rules about the service they were buying, such as the estimated maximum download speeds.
Finally, the regulator believed that 1Global was charging customers for the service when they could not activate it due to their handsets being locked.
“1Global has agreed to address the issues giving rise to the suspected regulatory breaches and has committed to issuing refunds to customers that were charged for the service but did not or could not activate it,” ComReg said.
“We will continue to monitor 1Global’s compliance with its obligations and to investigate, as appropriate, issues arising in respect of any obligations.”
Two years ago Revolut introduced eSim plans for roaming abroad, with an emphasis on mobile data. It gave those who signed up 100MB of free mobile data, which would be enough to open and use the Revolut app or check some low-data messaging apps when travelling overseas, including outside the EU.
Revolut announced that it would be using 1Global as its mobile partner, with the company offering services in 190 countries worldwide. It was the first eSim service offered by a financial institution, and aimed primarily at mobile data, rather than calls and texts.
eSim technology is available in most modern smartphones, allowing users to have both a physical Sim card and a separate eSim account from another operator.