Verizon Sued By Wisconsin AG For Billing Non-Verizon Customers

The Attorney General of Wisconsin has had it up to here (I’m holding my hand somewhere slightly over my head) with Verizon and has filed a lawsuit against the telecom giant alleging that Verizon was not only sending bills to people who didn’t order Verizon services, but then sent some customers to collection agencies after they refused to pay.

According to the suit, filed jointly against Verizon Long Distance LLC and Verizon North Inc., in the summer of 2008, some customers of telecom provider Powercom began receiving bills from Verizon for services they had not ordered. And even after receiving complaints, Verizon allegedly continued to send invoices.

From the suit:

When at least one of the improperly billed Powercom customers attempted to address the issue with Verizon North, they were informed that Verizon North would not speak to them about the bill Verizon North had sent to them for payment.

Click here to view the complaint [PDF]

It’s unclear from the lawsuit as to how and why Verizon would think these Powercom customers were to be billed by Verizon. We’ve attempted to contact the Wisconsin AG’s office for clarification on the allegations.

The AG is seeking an injunction to put an end to the improper billing, along with fines of up to $15,000 per violation and unspecified restitution for affected customers.

AG Van Hollen: Sues Verizon for improper billing [Wisconsin Business]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.