Lawsuits worth millions against Salt
Mobilcom and Adarna, two companies in eastern Switzerland that used to recruit business customers for Salt, are suing the former partner for millions in damages.
As reported by the Sonntagszeitung, the case involves contractually guaranteed commissions and revenue shares. In addition, the plaintiffs accuse Salt of conduct in breach of contract, which resulted in the discontinuation of their agency activities. Adarna Switzerland is claiming 2.6 million Swiss francs, Mobilcom Switzerland even 8.5 million Swiss francs. Mobilcom was forced to lay off 42 employees and file for bankruptcy due to the failure to pay millions in commissions. Adarna also terminated 16 employees without notice.
In 2015, Salt terminated most of the sales partners who had previously worked for Orange for years. As the company confirmed to the Sonntagszeitung, it is now concentrating more on direct customer contact - but it rejects the accusation of breach of contract. The company has always adhered to the contract and the applicable agency law.
Adarna managing director René Matzigner accuses Salt of bleeding its long-time business partners dry by not carrying out any more transfers after the termination - even though work was still being done and new customers were being referred during the three-month notice period. In addition, Matzinger accuses Salt of speculating that a small company could not afford legal proceedings anyway and therefore demanded a high party compensation in case of a victory in court. However, this request was rejected by the Zurich Commercial Court. (hae)
