The Minnesota attorney general (AG) filed a lawsuit against the telecommunications giant Comcast in late December in Hennepin County District Court on behalf of state residents. In her Dec. 21 filing, she accused them of having violated both the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act (UDTPA)and the Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act (PCFA).
There are many reason that she was motivated to sue Comcast.
First, it was brought to her attention that Comcast was telling customers that they were mandated by the government to bill them for both Broadcast TV and Regional Sports Network fees. They apparently weren’t required to collect the $18.25 some customers paid monthly though. They apparently duped consumers into paying them by claiming that they were taxes that they were required to collect.
In addition to advertising an artificially lower rate than what they were actually charging, Comcast also stands accused of having promised incentives such as gift cards that thousands of customers never received.
The AG also accuses Comcast of having intentionally enrolled customers in purchasing additional packages or in a service protection plan without their consent. When customers would discover these and attempt to discontinue them, they were billed costly early termination fees.
In another instance, a prospective customer who called Comcast to merely inquire about getting their services was sent equipment in the mail without her consent. She was later told her account would be turned over to collections if she failed to make monthly payments.
Another incident reported by a consumer to the AG involved one customer having been billed for phone service and then having to pay an early termination fee to remove it even though they had declined it.
In even another case, Comcast reportedly sent a customer a modem and started billing them on a monthly basis for it even though they had explicitly told them they didn’t need it because they had their own.
Instances such as abusive debt collection, inaccurate background checks, wrongful repossession of vehicles are some of the many actions others can take that can affect your ability to lead a comfortable life. A consumer fraud attorney listening to what has happened to you may advise you of your right to file suit to collect damages for any harm someone’s unlawful actions may have caused you.
