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Brandon Jonas of Troy and Banks says These overcharges are known as cramming charges, or unauthorized, misleading, or deceptive charges on a customer’s telephone bill. Cramming charges are billed by a third party company who is not affiliated with the phone provider, but is still able to bill on the invoice. Cramming charges can be listed on Verizon customers’ monthly telephone bill as service and long distance fees, web hosting, collect calls and other miscellaneous charges. Cramming charges can range in price from $1.99 to as much as $49.95 per month. Only 1 in 20 Americans are aware of these charges on their bills, which affect an estimated 15 to 20 million households per year.
Verizon was recently sued over allowing these charges on their customers’ bills. Verizon settled the lawsuit, and, in accordance with the settlement, the court ruled that all cramming charges from April 27, 2005 to February 25, 2012 must be reimbursed to Verizon landline customers who file a claim. Verizon customers can visit the settlement site www.verizonthirdpartybillingsettlement.com to obtain a summary of all potential cramming charges billed to them during that time period. Customers can then use this information to submit a claim to Verizon for a full refund.
Verizon has recently been sending out notifications of the settlement via mail and e-mail to affected customers. Customers who receive this information should be aware that the settlement is legitimate and the instructions provided should be followed in order to obtain a refund.