Refunds Coming To Colorado AT&T Mobility Customers
DENVER (CBS4) - AT&T wireless customers in Colorado may want to take a closer look at their old phone bills because they may have money coming back to them.
On Thursday, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced a settlement with AT&T Mobility LLC to resolve allegations that AT&T Mobility placed unauthorized charges for third-party services on consumers' mobile telephone bills, a practice known as "cramming."
According to the complaint, the charges appeared on AT&T phone bills but were from third-party companies for services people never asked to receive or were duped into subscribing to -- things like horoscope texts, celebrity gossip or flirting tips. The fees were usually around $9.99 a month and were not easy for customers to find on their bills.
"I've never had that issue that I'm aware of. Now, I guess I should go back and look at my bills," customer Elissa Fleischman said.
The Federal Trade Commission says AT&T kept at least 35 percent of the unauthorized charges it imposed on customers.
AT&T Mobility will pay a total of $105 million to resolve all of the allegations, $80 million of which will be used to pay refunds to victimized consumers.
Consumers may submit claims under the AT&T Mobility cramming refund program administered by the Federal Trade Commission by visiting ftc.gov/att. If consumers are unsure about whether they are eligible for a refund, they can visit the claims website or contact the Claims Administrator at 1-877-819-9692.
The FTC, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Attorneys General of all 50 states and the District of Columbia announced settlements with AT&T Mobility yesterday. Of the $105 million, AT&T Mobility also agreed to pay $20 million to the attorneys general to reimburse legal expenses and $5 million to the Federal Communications Commission.
