AT&T settles class-action over unauthorized cellular charges
June 14, 2008
Well, looks like my complaint back in Jan was right on the mark.
AT&T settles class-action over unauthorized cellular charges
By Jacqui Cheng | Published: June 03, 2008 - 12:57PM CT
What do you mean you didn’t mean to buy Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” to use as a ringtone on your phone? It’s on your bill! If you’ve ever seen a mysterious charge pop up on your AT&T cell phone bill, take note: AT&T has received preliminary approval to settle a class-action lawsuit over unauthorized charges for ringtones and other third-party mobile content. All US residents who have been charged for such content between January 1, 2004 and May 30, 2008 are now eligible for refunds, even if they are no longer account holders with AT&T.
The complaint was originally filed against AT&T late last year by Tracie McFerren, Morris Fiddler, and Kristen Hensley. The plaintiffs took issue with AT&T’s (and most mobile carriers’) “partnerships” with third-parties that allow the companies to automatically charge things like ringtones, games, and wallpapers, and daily joke text messages to the customer’s account. Unlike credit card purchases, which still require authorization from the user in some way, these mobile purchases only need to be associated with a cell phone number and be billed directly through the customer’s AT&T bill. AT&T gets a cut of the mobile sales by allowing these companies to bill directly through it, similar to the cramming done on landlines by third parties.
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