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Class Action Filed Against Verizon Wireless
Nuclear Elephant writes "Kirtland & Packard has filed a California-based class action suit against Verizon Wireless alleging some of their handsets have been advertised to have certain features, only come to find later that they were crippled for profit. With the Motorola Bluetooth Hacker's Contest ending unsuccessfully, many have taken this opportunity as a last-ditch effort to change things at Verizon." We mentioned the Verizon/Bluetooth episode earlier.
By chance yesterday I was reading up on an offer by Verizon. When I looked at the fineprint or the contract I thought it said I would have to waive my rights to a class action lawsuits and persue an individual case if disputes do come up. I wonder how many of these people are subject to this provision and not even aware they signed away their rights?
I just wanted to express my support for this lawsuit. What a great idea!
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If anyone knows ways to get involved, or to help this effort, please tell.
Lastly, I find the general plight of cell phones particularly tragic. Every phone I've ever owned has been crippled in serious ways just like the article mentions. People, cell phones are the future PC's. It's great that we have linux, free software, etc for today's personal computer, and yet before we've even finished freeing the personal computer, they're becoming obselete(exageration) to mobile devices. When will have have a truly open and standards based cell phone?
My only idea so far is to have a source-forge type of place for consumer electronics, where people can collaberate and at least create the designs for "freer" phones. Perhaps there could be a hardware specific GPL?
Discuss, discuss, I'd love to hear your inights on this,
I stupidly signed up with Verizon. When my contract expires, I'm gone.
They'll probably sock it to you then, too.
Several years ago, my wife got a cell phone through Verizon. We both used it, until it started getting a bit old and flakey. Then we each got our own cell phone, through two other providers, and cancelled the Verizon phone.
Verizon promptly added a $175 cancellation fee. It was long past the original two-year contract, and we hadn't signed any new contract. We just kept paying the bill, and the phone kept working. We should have been on their month-to-month service, though of course we never got any sort of paperwork (that we know of or signed) about this.
We've tried calling them to talk about it. Their response is to simply bounce us around between different people until the connection gets "accidentally" lost. Nobody at Verizon has shown any interest in discussing this charge. Their attitude is clearly "We put it on your bill, so you have to pay it."
Funny thing is, when we mention this to other people, a lot of them say "Yeah, they did the same to us."
So be prepared for charges that you weren't expecting, and which Verizon won't explain.
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
It seems that the only people who "win" in class action lawsuits are the lawyers when they collect their huge fees. The consumers of the class usually get stuck with something they don't want or is of such small value that it's not worth it.
We've tried calling them to talk about it. Their response is to simply bounce us around between different people until the connection gets "accidentally" lost. Nobody at Verizon has shown any interest in discussing this charge. Their attitude is clearly "We put it on your bill, so you have to pay it."
And you let it go? I had something similar happen to me. My cable company tried to charge me for a cable modem that I never returned when I quit the service. Of course since I was using my own, I never got one from them. Obviously no one there is willing to say you don't have to pay for it, or if they do, it does not matter since someone else bills you again. Try this crazy tactic that works for me. Don't pay them.
You see it works like this, you don't give them any money, and they can go stuff themselves. If they call to complain tell them you don't owe them any money. Eventually they hire a collection agency, when they call or write tell them you don't owe any money. Check your credit report, if a mark show up, tell them to remove it or you will sue them. If anyone threatens to take you to court, tell them you'll see them there. Everyone shuts up and backs off remarkably quickly.