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Suing the Phone Company

Posted by michael on from the A-for-effort dept.

TTop writes: "A Washington insurance agent has sued Verizon for harassment after receiving repeated annoying telemarketing calls from Verizon. These particular telemarketers would leave misleading messages on his voice mail like "It is very important that you contact our business office about your account", and continued to call despite his request to be put on a "do not call" list. He even had an temporary anti-harrasment order served on Verizon's regional president. While he ended up losing the case, other state's laws might be more permissive of this approach to protecting privacy."

3 of 19 comments (clear)

  1. Me, too. by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 3, Informative
    My wife's cell phone account (AT&T Wireless) kept getting the same voicemail message as this guy: "It is very important that you contact our business office about your account." We don't have any Verizon accounts, and when I tried (repeatedly) to call the number they left, I got a Verizon Wireless voicemail system that refused to connect me to a human being untill I entered my cell phone number, but when I entered my wife's AWS number, surprise surprise, the computer didn't recognize it. I then tried calling the Verizon Wireless office but the drone who answered the phone refused to connect me to anyone (but I could leave a message). Bah! As much as I hate USQwest, if I ever move I'm going to be sure not to move to an area served by Verizon!

    Thanks for letting me vent.

    --
    If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  2. Interesting by B.+Samedi · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's interesting how you can sue a normal business for bad workmanship, overcharging, etc. and the courts will go along with it. But all of a sudden you do it to major company and the courts are coming down on the side of the major company. At least where I live if my phone company cheeses me off I can switch to another one. And at last count I have at least five to switch too (although three of them are pretty iffy choices). Now I have the problem of monopolized electrical service but that's another story.

    The big question though is why you can't sue these companies the same way you can any other company? What makes them so special beyond amounts of money? It's like another poster mentioned, if I was calling someone all the time and leaving messages and wouldn't stop I'd be in jail. But all of a sudden a major company does it and it's alright. I feel the same way about the federal budget. If I ran my personal finances that way I'd be in jail. These institions should be held to the same accountability standards as the rest of us.

  3. Isn't it a $500 fine? by bluGill · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Isn't there a a fine if you call someone after being asked to be put on the do-not-call list? I thought there was, and it takes effect immeadiatly, not in 6 weeks while you circulate lists, right now.

    In this computer age changing your do-not-call list can be done in real time with any half way decient comptuer and database. They should use one.

    I use a cell phone exclusivly. Call me to make an unsolicitiade sales call and I will sue you, and I know the law is stronger becuse I pay for calls.