ISPs Met Technologies and Millenium Talk Probed Over SLAMMING

Broadband ISPs Met Technologies Limited (Met Plus Telecom and Millenium Talk) and Guaranteed Telecom Limited (Zoom Telecom) are being probed by Ofcom UK, which occurred after a number of consumers reported alleged incidents where their telecoms service had been switched without their permission.

The practice of SLAMMING is a mis-selling tactic that can occur when naughty people or ISPs trigger a switch (migration) of your service to another provider, albeit without you ever having given confirmed consent. Ofcom’s existing migration rules (General Condition 7 – formerly GC22) are designed to protect against such abuse, but they’re not perfect.

In a brief statement Ofcom said, “Specifically, this investigation is examining whether these companies have engaged in slamming by placing transfer orders, including repeat transfer orders, for switching customers’ communication services without their express knowledge and/or consent.” Such probes tend to take awhile and are unlikely to conclude until later in 2020. Should the regulator find fault with either of the groups then they could force through changes or potentially impose a large fine.

A quick Google around reveals a number of related complaints against the providers (some examples here and here) and one of them – Guaranteed Telecom – even managed to get on the bad side of the BBC’s Technology Correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, after they targeted one of his elderly relatives.