In the last several years, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon have been sneaking bogus monthly charges on our cell phone bills (a trick called mobile "cramming"). You can find out if you’re entitled to money back from this, at least from AT&T and T-Mobile.
Verizon settled with the FCC back in 2012, but more recently AT&T settled for $105 million, T-Mobile settled for $90 million, and Sprint will likely be hit with a $105 million fine as well. Some of that money will be distributed back to customers.
As of now, you can check if you’re eligible for a refund from AT&T at this FTC page; you have until May 1, 2015 to fill out the form with your email address and phone number.
It’s a bit harder with T-Mobile: You have to request an account summary and then mark the charges you didn’t authorize to submit a claim. The deadline is April 30, 2015.
Sprint customers should stay tuned, as a similar claim process will probably come with an FCC settlement.
Note that this is opt-in. You won’t get any money back automatically. Seeing as 95 percent of customers aren’t aware of these cramming charges, it’s a good idea to check.
Blumenthal Urges Cellphone Users to Claim Their Refunds | Hartford Courant via iDownloadBlog
Photo by JD Hancock and Tracy O.