Verizon Wireless Agrees to Refund Data Use Charges to Erroneously Billed Customers
Verizon Wireless and the FCC have entered into a consent decree, the lawsuit equivalent of a settlement agreement over its improper billing of data use charges going all the way back to November 2007. Verizon Wireless anticipates refunding more than $52.8 million to consumers and will make a volunteer contribution of $25 million dollars to the FCC.
Verizon Wireless customer, past and present, should review their bills and watch for upcoming refunds particularly if you do not have or at one point in the last two years did not have a data plan. If you believe you are entitled to a refund of charges you should contact Verizon Wireless customer service. If you are dissatisfied, the proposed resolution of Verizon Wireless you may escalate the complaint to Data Charge Task Force that Verizon Wireless must create under the consent decree.
Verizon Wireless must also improve its communications with customers over these fees including plan language descriptions of the circumstances when customers will incur data charges, whether the charge is incurred for certain downloads, how customers may get additional information for data charges, the creation of a free tracking tool for data charges, and the creation of an online bill tutorial explaining charges on consumers bills. Verizon Wireless must better train its Customer Service Employees on data usage options available to customers so that they may better inform customers.
Verizon Wireless must make the resources available in Spanish and English.
The one improvement UCAN would recommend for this consent decree would be recognition of the role of Community Based Organization that help consumers bring complaints. Much like the Better Business Bureau, and state Attorney General offices, Community Based Organization track and bring complaints against companies like Verizon Wireless on behalf of consumers. However, CBOs are not provided a fast track to the Task Force in the same way those organizations are. UCAN believes the FCC could forge much stronger relationships with CBOs such as UCAN that help consumers with their disputes with telecommunications companies. Such relationships would only strength the FCC’s ability to oversee telecommunications companies and enforce its rules and regulations.
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