Did the price of your Canal+ subscription increase a few years ago? You may be entitled to compensation of up to 75 euros, here's what you need to know.
In 2021, UFC-Que Choisir demanded that Canal+ reimburse some 430,000 subscribers, victims of “the channel's forced sales practices”. The French audiovisual group had increased the price of its subscriptions in 2018, under the guise of adding new content, and was convicted of forced sales by the Nanterre court in 2020. To avoid a trial, Canal+ admitted its guilt in court and agreed to pay a heavy fine. But the consumer protection association was not satisfied to leave it at that, given that subscribers were not receiving any compensation.
After years of negotiations and the establishment of a class action, an agreement was finally reached with Canal+. The company agrees to pay “individual, lump-sum and global compensation to subscribers affected by these price changes,” announced UFC-Que Choisir on June 23. The amount of compensation varies between 20 and 75 euros per eligible consumer, calculated according to the subscription currently subscribed to in 2018 and the latter's current status. At the time, the organization estimated that each subscriber could receive between 72 and 180 euros.
Which Canal+ subscribers are eligible?
UFC-Que Choisir explains that “all Canal+ subscribers who saw the price of their subscription automatically changed as of February 1, 2018 due to changes to their offer (with a monthly surcharge of €2 or €5), and who have never asked Canal+ to return to their initial offer in exchange for a refund of the additional cost thus paid, are eligible.”.
Subscribers who are still under contract can make this request, as can former customers who have canceled their subscription between May 31, 2020 and May 31, 2025. If you canceled your subscription before May 31, 2020, the association indicates that you are “potentially” eligible for a refund. You are invited to do so, but Canal+ will not contact you to inform you.
In addition, debtors of an unpaid amount not yet settled with Canal+ must regularize their situation before being able to claim this compensation. Those whose contract was terminated due to non-payment are also not eligible. Customers who had already requested a “return to the initial offer subscribed to and reimbursement of the additional cost of amounts paid between February 1, 2018 and the date of their refund request” are also not eligible for compensation. Finally, subscribers whose contract expired on December 31, 2017, January 31, 2018, or February 28, 2018 are not affected.
How to get a refund from Canal+?
Before explaining the steps to follow to request compensation, please note that once you have obtained it, you will be considered to have fulfilled your rights. You will therefore no longer be able to take action against Canal+ for any claim, request for compensation, or indemnity in this matter. For current subscribers, however, accepting the amount in question will have “no impact on the content and expiry date of the current subscription offer”.
Here is the procedure for accepting or requesting compensation:
- If you are still a Canal+ subscriber or you canceled after May 31, 2020: Canal+ will send you, within 15 days from June 23, 2025, either by email or by post, a specific individual compensation request form, which indicates the amount to which you will be entitled depending on your situation. You must return this form by email or post, completing the requested information.
- If you are a former Canal+ customer and canceled before May 31, 2020: You must take the initiative to report yourself to Canal+.
You can contact the group via:
- Email to [emailprotected]
- Mail to CANAL+/CANALSAT Customer Service – Authorization 40948 – 95059 CERGY PONTOISE CEDEX
In both cases, don't forget to include your first and last name, your current personal postal address, and your previous Canal+ subscriber number. Specify that you wish to “benefit from the global lump sum compensation offered as part of the UFC-Que Choisir–Canal+ agreement”. Also attach a copy of any management communication received from Canal+ between February 1, 2018 and May 31, 2020 containing your old subscriber number or any bank statement extract during the same period in which a Canal+ debit of the modified amount of the current subscription appears.
You must return the form received or send a manual compensation request before December 31, 2025.
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