The company Riverty apologized that a customer had to pay NOK 49 in invoice fees. Now another customer is ready to take the fight to court.
Right now
On Palm Sunday, Rune Moe read that the company Riverty apologized for insisting that a customer pay a fee of NOK 49 to receive an invoice
Ten minutes earlier, a bill had ticked into his online bank.
He had parked at Jessheim Storsenter on 22 March and was billed NOK 70.
The parking cost NOK 16. The administration fee was NOK 49 and the service fee was NOK 5.
– The amount in itself is not that large, but there are a few principles involved, says Rune Moe to E24.
Riverty refers to the whole thing as a “demanding topic”, and points out that several actors do not agree with the authorities’ assessments.
– For a long time, it has been an industry practice to operate with a fee when issuing an invoice of NOK 49 and above. It is only in recent months that Forbrukertilsynet and Finanstilsynet have come up with clear guidelines related to this, writes communications manager Kristina Hunter Nilsson at Riverty to E24.
Read the full response from Riverty further down in the case.
“In line with the Financial Agreements Act”
E24 recently told the story of Pål Tønder from Andebu in Vestfold who refused to pay the invoice fee to Riverty of NOK 49.
When he threatened to take the company to court, they backed down.
– In this case, we should have realized at an earlier stage that the claim should not have been the subject of debt collection or legal action – that is regrettable and we have taken the consequence of that by waiving the claim, Riverty wrote in an email to E24.
She also wrote that “the invoicing fees we and our clients operate with in future will be in line with the Financial Agreements Act”.
Will take it to court
Rune Moe – who read this ten minutes after receiving an invoice with an administration fee of NOK 49 – is clear about what he is going to do with the invoice.
– I will, of course, pay for the parking, but I will contact them and say that I will pay the fee in full.
– Completely out?
– Yes, I will follow it all the way through the courts if it comes to that, says Moe.
It is not necessarily the company Riverty that determines the size of the invoice fee. They take over the invoice handling from their customers.
– However, Riverty should be well informed about the regulations. That is why it is strange that the company assists customers in collecting illegally high invoice fees, says Gunstein Instefjord, head of consumer policy at the Consumer Council.
– Exemplary clear
– We see that creativity is high in the industry when it comes to calling invoice fees something else, says Instefjord.
He says several companies in the industry have changed the name of the invoice fee and charged the same amount.
The parking company Apcoa, which also uses Riverty to handle invoicing, has introduced a product they call Park & Go. The Consumer Council has called it “invoicing fees in sheep’s clothing”. Apcoa rejects the criticism.
– Otherwise, administration fees are another rewrite, says Instefjord to E24.
The Consumer Council has had a tips campaign where consumers can report high invoice fees. Four out of five inquiries about illegal fees concern invoice fees for toll crossings and parking. Six out of ten tips are about companies in Riverty’s customer portfolio, says Instefjord.
– The Financial Agreements Act, the Consumer Protection Authority and the Financial Protection Authority are all exemplary clear, he says.
– We will be very surprised if the parking companies and Riverty have not realized that what they are doing is illegal.
– Different denominations
E24 asked the money collection company Riverty if they have only changed the name of the NOK 49 fee from “invoice fee” to “administration fee”.
– Different players, including our clients, use different names for the fees they operate with. We are not aware that this has changed as a result of the discussions that have taken place in recent months, replies communications manager Kristina Hunter Nilsson at Riverty.
E24 also asked questions about:
- What they think about the Consumer Council’s criticism.
- What they think about so many people complaining about them through the Consumer Council’s tips campaign.
- Documentation for what is the basis for the 49 kroner required in administration fees.
- If they send out invoices they are not willing to defend in court.
The company did not specifically answer these questions.
– Complaint
If you receive an invoice with a fee of NOK 49 from a parking company, the advice to the Consumer Council is to complain to the company and dispute the claim.
– On our website you will find a simple procedure on how to make a complaint. If you do not get approval, you should tip the Consumer Protection Authority, says Instefjord in the Consumer Council.
