Consumer Law

Sprint Owes $$$ to Minnesota Customers

By Randall Ryder

Because of a recent settlement between the Minnesota Attorney General’s office and Sprint, customers who think they were misled by Sprint about their contract can apply to Sprint for refunds. Sprint warns, however, that merely applying for a refund does not ensure you will get one.

The settlement stems from complaints from customers about having their contracts extended by two years for making only minor changes to their service; when they tried to cancel early, the customers were charged an early termination fee of $200.

The AG’s office estimates approximately 450,000 customers were asked to pay the termination fee between 1999 and 2008 and another 450,000 customers are under contracts that contain an early termination fee.

The settlement now requires Sprint to fully disclose contract lengths and early termination penalties, and requires customer consent before a contract is extended.

Customers who wish to file a claim can call the Minnesota AG’s office at 800.657.3787, or look for the form on www.ag.state.mn.us.

Sprint may be on hook for refunds in state | StarTribune

Full post as published by Caveat Emptor on January 11, 2010 (boomark / email).