Ofcom has slapped Axis Telecom with a £30,000 fine for the misuse of an anti-slamming technique and ‘attempting to induce customers to remain in contract with Axis’.
‘Slamming,’ for those unfamiliar with the term, is where an ISP tries to transfer some or all of a customer’s calls and/or their telephone line without the customer’s knowledge or permission.
‘Cancel Other’ is a function available to ISPs to cancel orders if slamming is taking place. The use of Cancel Other is strictly regulated by Ofcom, and its Axis’ use of Cancel Other with which Ofcom has beef.
Cancel Other must be only used where slamming has occurred, if a customer asks an ISP to do it (‘Failure to Cancel’), if a line won’t be used during a transfer period (‘Line Cease’) or in any circumstance, so long as Ofcom gives it the go-ahead.
As part of its own-initiative investigation, Ofcom has concluded that Axis used Cancel Other for reasons other than those listed above and did not “take reasonable steps to establish that Slamming and/or Failure to Cancel had actually taken place.”
As well as this, Ofcom’s findings show that Axis attempted to keep customers who were moving to other ISPs “through the use of marketing statements or representations in its communications with the Customer,” which is strictly verboten.
A “non-confidential version” of the Decision is will be published soon. We’ve contacted Axis for a statement on Ofcom’s ruling and are waiting to hear back.
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