Last update - 00:00 02/10/2007
Satellite TV subscriber sues 'yes' for NIS 122M over faulty service
By Arnon Ben Yair, Haaretz Correspondent
A subscriber to the "yes" satellite television service filed a NIS 122 million suit against the media conglomerate with the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday, and asked for authorization to classify the suit as class action.
The suit was filed due to daily interruptions in the satellite television broadcasts to the homes of Israeli subscribers during the month of September.
According to the suit, complainant Yigal Greenlander generally watches satellite television every day. He maintains in the suit that he pays NIS 228 every month for the service, and during the month of September, there were frequent interruption in sound and picture as well as blackouts, which made it impossible to view the programs.
The complaint also includes the fact that the company's customer service center had collapsed during the month of September, and the company asked its subscribers not to bring complaints to the service representatives. Greenlander maintains that the absence of the service prevented him from disconnecting the satellite television service during that period of time, thus minimizing his expenditure on a faulty product.
The suit reveals that yes had publicly announced in the media that it was aware of the problem and did not know its source or how to solve it.
Greenlander added to the suit a statement published by the satellite yes, saying that it currently has 535,000 subscribers. Based on this information, the complainant estimated the amount of damages at NIS 122 million, which would encompass a full refund to every subscriber for the month of September.
The complainant added that the amount of damages could be amended if the interruptions in service persist.