You might not have “won a free cruise” as one of the most annoying robocalls to ever occur promises, but you could receive up to $900 for enduring the inconvenience of the call. [More]
telephone consumer protection act
Lawsuit Claims Universal Pictures Spammed Phones With Unsolicited ‘Warcraft’ Texts
By 7.1.16
Spam. It’s not just something that shows up in your email inbox from time to time, promising anatomical enhancements and luxury R0l3xes; sometimes it makes its way to your cell phone unbidden, leaving you with no recourse but to delete it… or sue whoever sent it to you, which is what one guy is doing after saying he got unsolicited texts messages from Universal Pictures pushing its movie based on a video game Warcraft. [More]
Woman Sues Kohl’s After Receiving Thousands Of Robocalls Intended For Ex-Boyfriend
By 1.22.16
Receive just one phone call meant for someone else and you might chalk it up to a simple misunderstanding. But getting thousands of prerecorded calls for your ex-boyfriend over a more than two-year period and the situation becomes annoying, aggravating, and — according to one Pennsylvania woman — grounds for a lawsuit. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Operators Of Two Adult Subscription Sites Sent Unsolicited Texts Linking To Porn
By 9.2.15
No one likes getting spammed, but when you’ve got unsolicited text messages blowing up your phone with links to porn, it’s a lot harder to avoid than the pitches for fake Rolexes and male enhancement drugs that end up banished to your email’s spam folder. A lawsuit in Illinois that’s seeking class-action status claims the operators of two subscription adult entertainment sites spammed peoples’ phones with links to their sites, though the recipients never signed up for such texts in the first place. [More]
Lawsuit Alleges Uber Is Spamming Consumers With Illegal Texts
By 8.11.15
The concept of ride-sharing service Uber is built around consumers’ use of mobile phones: the company sends text messages confirming the creation of an account, users hail a cab through the company’s app, and the company routinely informs customers their ride is on the way via text. While this may be convenient for Uber customers, a new lawsuit claims Uber is violating federal law by sending unsolicited texts to people who want nothing to do with the service. [More]
Time Warner Cable Must Pay Nearly $230,000 For 153 Robocalls To The Wrong Person
By 7.8.15
We can all agree that automated robocalls are an annoying interruption. But you know what’s worse? Receiving those automated calls meant for someone else, telling the company to place you on the Do Not Call list and then continuing to receive a total of 153 prerecorded messages. [More]
Senators Ask PayPal To Change Obnoxious RoboCall Clause In User Agreement
By 6.16.15
Two weeks ago, we told you how PayPal’s revised user agreement expanded the company’s already-intrusive existing permission to send pre-recorded robocalls and spam texts, and how the company gave users no apparent way to opt out. Then the FCC chimed in, telling the company that its terms appear to violate federal law. Now, several U.S. Senators are asking PayPal to rethink its terms before they go into effect on July 1. [More]
60,000 Consumers Call On FCC To Not Allow Robocalls To Cellphones
By 2.19.15
Earlier this year, we told you how the American Bankers Association was seeking exemptions from the FCC that would allow banks to get around a law that forbids businesses from robocalling cellphones without prior approval. Today, 60,000 consumers are telling the FCC to just say now to the banks’ request. [More]
Banks Want To Robocall You When It’s Important, But Not Important Enough To Speak To A Human
By 1.8.15
Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, companies can’t robocall you on your cellphone unless you’ve given them prior consent to contact you at that number. Now the banking industry is trying to gain exemptions for this rule, claiming there are times when they just need to call your cellphone even though the need isn’t urgent enough to have an actual human make that call. They also don’t want to be penalized for robocalling the wrong number. [More]
Verizon To Pay $6 Million For Sending Junk Faxes
By 7.21.07
Verizon will pay $6 million to businesses in Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama for sending 10,145 junk faxes advertising its services. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act bans businesses from sending unsolicited faxes, and allows for fines reaching up to $1,500 for each violation. Verizon will pay class members only $625 per fax, despite their crack legal team’s best efforts to deploy novel and absurd legal arguments in Verizon’s defense.
