AT&T Uses Forced Arbitration To Overcharge Customers, Senators Say (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Five Democratic US senators allege that AT&T's use of forced arbitration clauses has helped the company charge higher prices than the ones it advertises to customers. The senators pointed to a CBS News investigation that described "more than 4,000 complaints against AT&T and [subsidiary] DirecTV related to deals, promotions and overcharging in the past two years." But customers have little recourse because they are forced to settle disputes with AT&T in arbitration, according to Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Edward Markey (D-Mass.). "Forced arbitration provisions in telecommunications contracts erode Americans' ability to seek justice in the courts by forcing them into a privatized system that is inherently biased in favor of providers and which offers virtually no way to challenge a biased outcome," the senators wrote in a letter yesterday to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. "Forced arbitration requires consumers to sign away their constitutional right to hold providers accountable in court just to access modern-day essentials like mobile phone, Internet, and pay-TV services." Forced arbitration provisions such as AT&T's also "include a class action waiver; language which strips consumers of the right to band together with other consumers to challenge a provider's widespread wrongdoing," they wrote.

Comments

Choose your poison

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not a fan of AT&T. In fact I don't much like them at all.

But I'm even more skeptical of lawyers and courts and of National Socialist senators like Mr. Franken.

So as much as I hate it, I think I'm going to cheer for AT&T in this case.

Re:forced arbitration for consumers..

[Archangel Michael]

As opposed to what? Trickle up Poverty? Taxing everyone to the point of poverty? I bet you're in love with the 1% Bernie who became "Rich" while working on the public dole for his whole life. No Hypocrisy there at all ... nope.