Killinghall Parish Council in North Yorkshire has lodged a complaint with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after encountering unexpected charges linked to Microsoft Teams. The council initially purchased access to the software for its ten members but later discovered additional fees were required for each user to operate the platform fully.

The council reported that beyond the initial purchase, each member needed to acquire an individual Microsoft 365 licence and associated Microsoft email account. These requirements added up to an extra £120 per user, resulting in a total additional expense of approximately £1,100.

This situation arose after the council sought to adopt Microsoft Teams to support its operations and communication. However, the necessity for separate licences for each user was not clearly communicated at the time of purchase, leading to frustration over the hidden costs.

The council’s complaint to the CMA highlights concerns about transparency and fair trading in software licensing arrangements. It alleges that the pricing structure was not sufficiently disclosed, potentially misleading customers about the true cost of using Microsoft Teams at an organisational level.

At present, there has been no public response from Microsoft regarding the complaint or the licensing issue raised by Killinghall Parish Council. The case underscores ongoing challenges for small organisations navigating complex software licensing models, particularly when adopting widely used productivity tools.

The CMA has not yet indicated how it will respond to the complaint or whether it will initiate an investigation into Microsoft’s licensing practices related to Teams and Microsoft 365 products.