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inanna

(3,547 posts) Wed Dec 17, 2014, 02:05 PM Dec 2014

U.S. consumer bureau sues Sprint over phone bill ‘cramming’

Source: Reuters

A U.S. consumer watchdog agency on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against wireless carrier Sprint Corp over unauthorized charges on customers’ cellphone bill, a practice known as cramming.

In a third cramming-related government enforcement action this year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleges that from 2004 to December 2013, Sprint billed its customers tens of millions of dollars in unauthorized third-party charges while keeping up to 40 per cent of the revenue.

The Federal Communications Commission is also weighing a $105-million fine against Sprint for charging its customers for services that they had never requested.

The case against Sprint marks the first joint public action by the FCC and the CFPB.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/us-consumer-bureau-sues-sprint-over-phone-bill-cramming/article22118531/?cmpid=rss1

Good. I hate sprint.

We used sprint for about six months (in Canada). During that time they altered the terms of their "unlimited long distance calling" plan three times.

ETA comment.

7 replies

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Highlight:

U.S. consumer bureau sues Sprint over phone bill ‘cramming’ (Original Post) inanna Dec 2014 OP

who has scutinized a media bill in the last 20 years ? olddots Dec 2014 #1

Another policy of the President he pushed through, the Protect Consumers From Oligarths Agency Fred Sanders Dec 2014 #2

A Japanese corporation bought the majority of Sprint fasttense Dec 2014 #3

K&R DeSwiss Dec 2014 #4

I worked as customer service for Sprint/Nextel Veilex Dec 2014 #5

Fucking sue Comcast. onehandle Dec 2014 #6

AT&T Used To Do This Too tonekat Dec 2014 #7

olddots

(10,237 posts)

1. who has scutinized a media bill in the last 20 years ?

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Wed Dec 17, 2014, 02:21 PM

Dec 2014

They got us where they want us and we don't even see it .

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)

2. Another policy of the President he pushed through, the Protect Consumers From Oligarths Agency

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Wed Dec 17, 2014, 02:45 PM

Dec 2014

is yet another ignored major accomplishment.

fasttense

(17,301 posts)

3. A Japanese corporation bought the majority of Sprint

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Wed Dec 17, 2014, 02:47 PM

Dec 2014

and their service continued to go down hill.

I used Sprint for years until I found my bill was going up and up and yet there was no reason for the continuing increases. I had unlimited long distance and yet I was charged $5 and $6 for each long distance call.

I found another carrier and though I now get REAL unlimited long distance, their charges are mysteriously going up and up too.

It's all one big scam, thanks to capitalism.

DeSwiss

(27,137 posts)

4. K&R

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Wed Dec 17, 2014, 03:06 PM

Dec 2014

Veilex

(1,555 posts)

5. I worked as customer service for Sprint/Nextel

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Wed Dec 17, 2014, 03:24 PM

Dec 2014

I could tell you some real horror stories... like the fact that Sprint had (has?) federal contracts which require all customer service to be done within the US. However, sprint had (has?) customer service centers up in Canada that regularly and illegally serviced those government contracts. Add to that, issues where phones did not disconnect from a tower because the software in a flip phone would not disconnect the phone when closed, or the "end call" option was not explicitly pressed, causing in the upwards of 50 thousand dollars in overage fees (which is also virtually impossible as there were not enough chargeable minutes in a pay period to accumulate that much overage in that particular case). Situations where a phone has clearly been cloned and usage is through the roof, again cause tons of overage fees.

So many things that the cell phone industry does to screw over its customers. Up to and including a mandatory clause that essentially stipulates that the company doesn't owe you anything in any situation regardless of what you think you're owed.

Cell phone companies are evil. I know. I used to work for one.

In fact, habitually reversing those evils nearly got me fired more than once.
Glad I don't work there anymore.

onehandle

(51,122 posts)

6. Fucking sue Comcast.

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Wed Dec 17, 2014, 09:38 PM

Dec 2014

Wait... Won't happen. They literally run the FCC.

tonekat

(1,811 posts)

7. AT&T Used To Do This Too

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Wed Dec 17, 2014, 09:55 PM

Dec 2014

Back when I used them as my cell carrier, I discovered monthly charges for "roadside service". From a phone company?? Besides I had AAA.

I called them on it and the rep said something like; "Oh gosh, how did that get there, we'll remove it right away!" In other words; "Drat, you caught us!".

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