Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has settled another lawsuit with a telecom company, this time winning refunds and debt forgiveness from Comcast for more than 30,000 customers.
In a statement, Ellison said the settlement of a lawsuit with Comcast/Xfinity should stop “unpleasant surprises” on customers’ bills. The state sued after customers complained the telecom giant overcharged customers and failed to deliver promised prepaid gift cards.
The deal means 15,600 Minnesotans will receive refunds and an additional 16,000 will get debt relief, Ellison said.
“This settlement will help put money back in Comcast’s customers’ pockets where it should have been in the first place,” Ellison said. “Just as importantly, it provides millions of dollars’ worth of debt relief. And we’ve made sure that going forward, Comcast customers will know exactly how much they’ll pay for service before they sign up for it.”
In its lawsuit, state officials accused Comcast of charging customers more than they were promised when they signed up, including undisclosed fees the company used to bolster profits. Customers were also charged for services and equipment they didn’t request and were not given gift cards they were promised when they agreed to multi-year contracts.
The Comcast settlement comes a week after Ellison announced a deal with CenturyLink to settle similar allegations. That settlement included $8.9 million that’s to be repaid to customers who were overcharged.
Under the settlement, Comcast agreed to pay $1.4 million in refunds. Customers can expect refunds if:
- They were promised, but never received, a prepaid gift card between January 2013 and July 2017.
- They downgraded their service and were charged an early-termination fee between June 2015 and July 2017.
- They were charged for a modem they returned within three months of signing up for a cable/internet bundle between January 2014 and July 2017.
In a statement responding to the settlement announcement, Comcast said it disagrees with the allegations made in the lawsuit filed in December 2018.
“Today’s settlement with the Minnesota Attorney General reflects our ongoing efforts to improve the customer experience,” the statement said. “… (W)e agreed to settle because we are committed to partnering with Attorney General Ellison and others who share our commitment to improving the experience of our customers in all respects.”
