In May of 2015, Verizon Wireless and Sprint settled on $158 million USD with the Federal Trade Commission over unauthorized third-party services. The deadline for customers to claim their refunds is December 31, 2015.
Verizon Wireless and Sprint customers have less than a week to claim their refunds for unjustified charges as far back as July 1, 2010. Former customers that switched or dropped service from these companies are also eligible for the refund as long as they file their claim by December 31, 2015.
The wireless service providers settled on an investigation by the FTC to the tune of $158 million over unauthorized charges on customers’ accounts. These charges came from third-party companies, primarily unauthorized text messages without the consent or knowledge of customers. This illegal activity is referred to as “cramming.”
In order to prevent this from happening again, Verizon Wireless and Sprint will be made to inform customers if third-party charges may apply to any actions taken.
Both present and former subscribers of these services are encouraged to look over their monthly statements to see if there are any suspicious charges that were out on their accounts. If such charges are found, then there might be a chance that a refund is in order.
It might not be worth your time to file a claim though. It is speculated that the slice of the $158 million pie that individual consumers will be getting is to the order of around $10. Verizon Wireless has also stated that refunds under $3.00 are not going to be paid off.
If you do want to file a claim, Verizon Wireless and Sprint have both provided forms that can be filled out online or printed out and mailed.
Link to the Verizon Wireless claim form.
Link to the Sprint claim form.
Don’t expect to receive much, but maybe it is the principle that counts.