Several websites charging fees for leaving the Church of Sweden have been reported to the Swedish Consumer Agency. Tonny Ulander, a resident of Gothenburg, was shocked to receive a bill after using one such site. Despite the legality of these services, many consumers are unaware of the costs involved, leading to numerous complaints.
Controversy Over Fees for Leaving the Church in Sweden
Controversy Over Fees for Leaving the Church in Sweden
Several websites charging fees for leaving the Church of Sweden have been reported to the Swedish Consumer Agency. Tonny Ulander was shocked by a bill amounting to hundreds of kronor.
Tonny Ulander, 63, from Gothenburg, had long considered leaving the Church of Sweden. On July 15, while at home with his phone, he decided to take action.
When he searched for "leave the Church of Sweden," several sites appeared. One of them was Kyrkavgift.se.
– "It had been on my mind for a long time, then this site appeared, and I thought 'how convenient,' it only takes a minute," he says.
Tonny had to check his age and salary, which puzzled him.
A few days later, he received a bill for 398 kronor, which needed to be paid "promptly." Then everything became clear.
– "It feels terrible. Things like this shouldn't happen. People shouldn't be treated this way," he says.
Received Payment Reminder
A few days later, a reminder arrived, and now the amount was up to 458 kronor.
He and his wife Marie-Louise tried to call the company to dispute the payment but received no response.
The company eventually replied by email, stating that the purchase could not be canceled and even threatened to report the matter to the police.
– "I haven't paid the bill. I must admit I was a bit hasty and should have been more informed, but I believe others fall for this too. It smells like fraud from a mile away," says Tonny Ulander.
Multiple Complaints
It is free to leave the Church of Sweden if done through the Church's own website. Meanwhile, several sites charge for the exit.
Kyrkavgift.se markets its service by claiming to help customers "quickly and easily" leave the church.
The company has been reported ten times to the Consumer Agency in just three months.
Another site, Digitaliseringsinitiativet, which sells the service "exit from the Church of Sweden," has been reported 84 times since 2019 for misleading marketing and inappropriate sales methods.
The Consumer Agency also has an ongoing case against a site called Kyrkoutträde.
The Church of Sweden states on its website that it does not cooperate with companies that charge for leaving.
Consumer Agency: "Not Illegal"
The Consumer Agency has seen several complaints against such sites in recent years.
– "Generally, we see complaints about some of these companies, absolutely," says Julia Ramberg, a lawyer at the agency.
At the same time, she emphasizes that the business is legal.
– "It is not illegal in itself to charge for such a service that is free at an authority."
The problem with the sites is that they do not always clarify that the service costs money. On Kyrkavgift's website, it is stated in fine print that the service costs 398 kronor.
– "What we can see from the complaints is that consumers are not aware that it costs money or get the wrong impression about the price. It can also be difficult to contact the companies," says Julia Ramberg.
Lawyer: Right of Withdrawal Applies
On Kyrkavgift's website, the company refers to the Distance Contracts Act and the Consumer Purchase Act, claiming that no right of withdrawal applies to "digital products delivered immediately and personally customized."
However, the main rule is a 14-day right of withdrawal for this type of product according to the law, says Julia Ramberg. The exception is if it concerns a service where the consumer, for example, has explicitly checked a box waiving the right of withdrawal.
She also does not consider this a "personal" item, but rather a service.
– "In summary, the consumer should be able to withdraw from this type of purchase unless the consumer has agreed that they do not have a right of withdrawal and that the service has been completed," says Julia Ramberg.
Company: Follows Regulations
Kyrkavgift responds in a written comment to Expressen that they take the accusations seriously but claim that the company is transparent about how the business operates.
"We obviously regret that a user has experienced our service negatively, and we take every point of view seriously. At the same time, we want to be clear that our service is legal, clearly described, and that we follow applicable regulations," the company writes.
Regarding the right of withdrawal, the company states that they follow the rules.
"Regarding the right of withdrawal, we want to point out that there are exceptions from the 14-day right of withdrawal according to the Distance Contracts Act – especially for services that have already begun or been completed before the withdrawal period has expired. This is something that the Consumer Agency should also be aware of. The information about this is clearly stated in our terms of use, which the customer agrees to when placing the order," the company writes.