On October 2, 2025, the DGCCRF (French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control) imposed a fine of more than €6 million for abusive telemarketing practices.
This penalty follows an investigation by DGCCRF agents, which revealed the following violations:
- cold calling consumers registered on the Bloctel cold calling opt-out list;
- cold calling consumers at times, on days, or with frequency when cold calling is prohibited, and via pre-recorded messages;
- failure to provide mandatory information concerning the use of a mediation mechanism at the pre-contractual and post-contractual stages.
If you wish to engage in telephone solicitation, here are some important rules to be aware of:
- It is not possible to solicit by telephone a consumer registered on the Bloctel do-not-call list, except in the case of solicitations made in connection with the performance of a current contract and relating to the subject matter of that contract, including when offering the consumer products or services related or complementary to the subject matter of the current contract or likely to improve its performance or quality.
- Telemarketing is only permitted from Monday to Friday, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- The same professional is prohibited from soliciting or attempting to solicit the same consumer by telephone more than four times during a period of 30 calendar days.
- When a consumer refuses to be solicited during a telephone conversation with a professional, the latter may not contact or attempt to contact them by telephone before the expiry of a period of 60 calendar days.
- The use of a hidden number is prohibited.
- When a professional collects telephone data from a consumer, they must inform them of their right to register on the do-not-call list.
Following a telephone sales call, the professional must send the consumer, on paper or on a durable medium, a confirmation of the offer made, including all the information provided for in Article L. 221-5 of the French Consumer Code.
The consumer is only bound after signing and accepting this offer.
With regard to consumer mediation, the DGCCRF has penalized the absence of mandatory information concerning the use of a mediation mechanism at the pre-contractual and post-contractual stages.
The professional must provide the consumer with the contact details and website address of the consumer mediator they have chosen, by including this information on their website, in their general terms and conditions of sale or service, on their order forms or, in the absence of such media, by any other appropriate means.
This information must also be provided if a dispute cannot be resolved through a complaint made by the consumer directly to the professional.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about telemarketing, consumer mediation, or consumer and communication law in general.