PSA bans individual who was knowingly involved in a series of very serious Code breaches from the market

Simon was the director of Heart Communications Limited, a Level 2 provider which ran an information service that charged customers £2.50 per minute, plus access charges. In October 2018, the PSA Tribunal found the company had breached several provisions of the Code of Practice, including around pricing information, being misleading and complaints handling. The Tribunal imposed a number of sanctions, including a fine of £165,000.

Following this adjudication, the company did not pay the fine or the administrative charge imposed.

Now, the Tribunal has found that Simon herself was involved in the very serious breaches upheld by earlier Tribunals. The Tribunal was satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that Simon had knowledge of these breaches and was knowingly involved in the non-compliant conduct at the time.

The Tribunal has prohibited Simon from providing, or having any involvement in, any premium rate service for a period of five years from the date of publication of the decision (today).

Find out more in the adjudication minutes.