Washington State Issues Warning About Shady Comcast Behavior Washington State AG Bob Ferguson is warning consumers to keep an eye out for misleading fees on their Comcast bills. The AG sent out this "consumer alert" to state residents this week, warning them that Comcast has a nasty habit of charging customers for services they didn't want -- and may have never ordered. Comcast was already facing a lawsuit by the AG over its Service Protection Plan (SPP), a $6 per month program the AG says Comcast signs up users for without them asking for it, while dramatically over-stating what the plan actually covers.

Ferguson sued Comcast in 2016, then expanded the lawsuit early this year after staffers discovered the problem was more widespread than initially believed. That lawsuit accused Comcast of numerous, rampant deceptive business practices, including misrepresenting the scope of its Service Protection Plans, charging customers improper service call fees, and engaging in improper credit screening practices. The original lawsuit claims nearly 2 million instances of deceptive behavior impacting half a million Washington state subscribers, but those estimates have dramatically expanded since. "New evidence makes clear that Comcast’s conduct is even more egregious than we first realized," Ferguson said at the time. "The extent of their deception is shocking, and I will hold them accountable for their treatment of Washington consumers." Ferguson's advisory this week again urges consumers to check their bill, and file a complaint if they find errant charges. Comcast, meanwhile, has been lobbying the federal government as part of an over-arching effort to gut both state and federal oversight of its business practices. That resulted in the FCC's net neutrality repeal attempting to thwart states looking to protect net neutrality and broadband subscriber privacy rights. Comcast is also facing numerous lawsuits for other misleading billing practices. The company's "Broadcast TV fee," for example, takes a chunk of the costs Comcast pays for content (aka the cost of doing business) and buries it below the line. That allows Comcast to advertise one rate, then sock consumers with a higher rate once their bill actually comes due. Comcast has similarly been heavily criticized for its regional sports fees and arbitrary and unnecessary broadband usage caps and overage fees. Despite the AG's mounting pile of evidence, the cable giant continues to insist that the company has done nothing wrong. "The service protection plan gives those consumers who choose to purchase it great value by covering virtually all service charges over 99 percent of the time," claims the company. "The service protection plan gives those consumers who choose to purchase it great value by covering virtually all service charges over 99 percent of the time," claims the company.







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Most recommended from 28 comments



Economist

The economy, stupid

Premium Member

join:2015-07-10

united state 39 recommendations Economist Premium Member Won't stop... ...until the penalties FAR FAR FAR outweigh the ill-gotten profits.

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 28 recommendations maartena Premium Member Get Cable! ONLY $19.99!!





* Excludes the following fees:

- A Tuner, $10 per TV.

- DVR Service, $10.

- Broadcast Surcharge, $5.

- Sports Surcharge, $5.

- Local taxes and fees: $8 combined.

- "Technology Recovery Fee" $3.

- "Service Protection Plan" "In case an "accident" happens to your equipment" $6.

- "Net Neutrality Lawsuits Recovery Fee" "Soon added to every bill!" $4.





BUT REALLY, TV for $19.99! ONLY!



Seriously people, its $19.99 only, and you get all these channels!!*

davidc502

join:2002-03-06

Mount Juliet, TN 13 recommendations davidc502 Member Think about it.... It's a numbers game with them. Think of all the people who do not call and get issues like these corrected. It is just money in the bank and for really doing nothing.



One of the main reasons why I dumped Comcast was because I found a modem rental charge going back 6 months though I owned my own modems for years. It took over a month of battling to get the money they owed me back.



People should be warned of a companies practices.

Anon1d0c0

@att.net 7 recommendations Anon1d0c0 Anon I am shocked! I am shocked, Shocked, to learn that cable companies scam customers in this state! Round up the usual suspects!

ham3843

join:2015-01-15

USA 2 recommendations ham3843 Member Won't stop until....... This type of fraud won't stop until the top executives like the CEO, CFO, COO, and BoD GO TO JAIL

for a loooong time.



Well AG, what are you waiting for....