FCC fines Verizon Wireless $25M for spurious fees

[somone]

Source: Associated Press

Federal regulators say Verizon Wireless has agreed to pay a fine of $25 million and at least $52.8 million in refunds to customers who inadvertently racked up data charges on their phones over the last three years. The Federal Communications Commission says the fine for such "mystery fees" is the largest in its history...

To forestall action by the FCC, Verizon Wireless said earlier this month that it would issue refunds, mostly of $2 to $6, to about 15 million subscribers.

The FCC started asking Verizon Wireless last year about $1.99-a-megabyte data access fees that appeared on the bills of customers who didn't have data plans but who accidentally initiated data or Web access by pressing a button on their phones.

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement that the consent decree "sends a clear message to American consumers ... People shouldn’t find mystery fees when they open their phone bills — and they certainly shouldn’t have to pay for services they didn’t want and didn’t use. In these rough economic times, every $1.99 counts."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39895349/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/

[Kingofalldems]

1. If repubs were in charge they would have let this slide

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. 2 to 6 dollars "refund" for a 1.99 fee for 3 years???

[Massacure]

3. I think the $1.99 fee is one time thing for most people.

However the month that it happened in could have been anytime over a three year period. If you have a $4 refund, it happened twice over three years, $6 three times, etc...