A class action lawsuit was filed against Verizon Wireless that claims the company improperly bills consumers for “unidentified, unwarranted and recurring” charges for its “Get It Now” download service. The lawsuit alleges that the mobile phone company is violating the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Truth-in-Billing Act.
To comply with the FCC Truth-in-Billing Act, a company needs to create phone bills that clearly and concisely explain what a consumer is being charged for. According to Consumer Affairs, the dispute between the customer and Verizon concerns whether Verizon is intentionally misleading and confusing about how and why the download charges are appearing on customers’ bills.
According to Consumer Affairs, Verizon agreed to settle a federal investigation into the fees it charges consumers in a separate issue last October. Customers claimed they were charged “mystery fees” for unintended data usage. Federal authorities launched an investigation into these “mystery fees” that were charged to millions of customers and Verizon agreed to settle the case by paying $25 million.
The settlement agreement also stipulated that Verizon set up a “Data Charge Task Force.” The task force is meant to communicate recurring and widespread customer complaints or problems with data usage charges to customer service employees. The company was also directed to make information about data charges more understandable for customers. Verizon was told to provide information to customers that is more transparent and up-front and in plain language.
Source:
Verizon Wireless ‘Get It Now’ Plan Challenged in Class Action (Consumer Affairs)
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