AT&T mobile phone customers who had unwanted charges added to their monthly bills face a Friday deadline to apply for a refund, a New York senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged AT&T customers to call a toll-free hot line at 877-819-9692 to find out if they are eligible.
The unwanted charges came through a practice known as “cramming,” in which third-party vendors for applications offering ringtones, horoscopes, celebrity gossip and other subscriptions charged their fees through monthly billing from AT&T and other cellphone carriers.
“Cellphones act more like computers and credit cards fused together than actual telephones,” Schumer said in a conference call with reporters. “Plus consumers easily, sometimes accidentally, purchase and download music and ringtones and newspaper subscriptions and alerts.” T-Mobile customers face a June 30 deadline to apply for similar refunds while Verizon and Sprint remain in settlement negotiations with federal regulators.
AT&T consumers can apply for a refund online as well at https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds/att-refunds. T-Mobile customers can apply for a refund online at http://www.t-mobilerefund.com.
