A Chicago man is suing cable giant Comcast for allegedly breaking the law by running a check on his credit history after he'd paid them not to.

Keith Santangelo claims that even after he gave Comcast $50 to skip the check, his financial record was still obtained by the telco. His lawsuit, filed in Illinois, accuses the company of flouting the US Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Santangelo claims that, in December, he contacted Comcast to set up a cable service at his apartment, a process which normally includes a credit check. Wanting to forego the check – which could lower his credit score – Santangelo says he opted instead to provide a $50 deposit.

Even after he paid that amount, the company ran an inquiry on his credit anyway, and according to the complaint, he is not alone in having experienced this.

"Comcast did not single out Mr Santangelo to pull his credit report," the lawsuit [PDF] reads.

"Numerous reports of consumers experiencing a credit inquiry from Comcast after paying a deposit to avoid said inquiry can be found on Comcast’s Customer forums."

The suit seeks a class-action award for all Comcast customers who were subject to an unauthorized credit check within the past two years.

Comcast has yet to respond to a request for comment.

Complaints about poor customer service have plagued Comcast. Last summer, a Comcast rep was recorded holding a heated telephone conversation with a customer who wanted to end his internet subscription. And the company has the second-lowest customer satisfaction rating among all television providers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. ®