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11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

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‘Just throw away UPC-decoder’

13 September 2006 – MP Martijn van Dam (PvdA) is irritated by the way in which cable television provider UPC is forcing its digital television upon customers, and argues for a right to throw away the decoder. The Consumentenbond consumers’ organisation hopes for stricter legislation. For now, the advice is to send back the decoder.

UPC is sending decoders on a massive scale to people who did not ask for one. They get to watch digital TV for free for six months. If fail to respond in time, their subscription will be automatically renewed, after which it is no longer free of course.

Independent MP Gonny van Oudenallen raised the issue of UPC’s marketing methods. Van Dam: “I thought; why not ask whether you may simply throw away the decoder if you do not want it”.

Problem is that the decoders are not unsolicited in the legal sense of the word. When it is delivered by the postman or picked up at the post office, the recipient is asked for a signature. If the decoder were really unsolicited, one might keep it without paying anything.

MP Van Dam thought that State Secretary Karien van Gennip was less than critical towards UPC. “It seemed as if she was defending UPC, although this is hardly a company that one should be defending”.

The Consumentenbond, which thinks that UPC is using aggressive sales methods, is more positive about Van Gennip. The state secretary is preparing a new Unfair Business Practices Law. She will discuss the project with the Consumentenbond.

THROW AWAY
Of course, that does not provide a solution on the short term. Van Dam would find it ‘rather exciting’ if someone would just throw away the decoder, to see what would happen if the issue go to court. Such a person would risk having to pay a couple hundred euros.

The Consumentenbond is not enthusiastic about such an initiative. For now, the advice is to send back the decoder to UPC.

A UPC spokesperson says that anyone may refuse the decoder when it is delivered. If one already has the decoder but does not want a subscription, one must let UPC know so within six months. The company can be reached by telephone number 0900—1580 (ten cents per minute) or through the contact form at the UPC website.

The company will then call back to ask why the customer does not want a subscription. If the customer perseveres, a return box will be sent. The decoder can be delivered to the post office in this box.

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