By Michael R. Shannon ——Bio and Archives--October 13, 2015
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Me: I’m no longer getting what I paid for, what kind of refund can I expect? Verizon: You won’t be getting a refund. Me: Verizon can remove channels and make my package less valuable without reducing the price? Verizon: Yes. Me: So my two–year agreement only works one way? Verizon: It doesn’t lock Verizon in, the channel lineup can change but your payment stays the same.All the flexibility is on Verizon’s side and all the responsibility is on our side. These cable agreements are so unfair contracts specifically prohibit participation in class–action suits. Taking Murray’s advice, cable subscribers can fight back, not by being sued, but by suing in small claims court. Small claims is the great leveler of jurisprudence. You don’t need a lawyer and judges are often very sympathetic to plaintiffs. The term to use with the judge is “unconscionability.” This is applied to contracts where one of the parties involved is at a great disadvantage, cable agreements and Chinese organ donors being prime examples. Small claims commonly awards three times actual damages, but no pain and suffering. Hours spent watching “Call the Midwife,” with your wife, don’t count. Here’s a sample calculation: Six months remain on your contract when Verizon arbitrarily removes a favorite channel without compensation (Univision doesn’t count either). Six months of $75.00 cable bills = $450 X 3 = $1,350.00. Your case is unlikely to go to court because Verizon’s lawyers are expensive. Instead you’ll get a call from a nice man asking what the company can do to make you happy enough to drop the suit. The tables have turned. Either demand the return of your channels for free or demand to be released from the contract AND receive a check to cover a refund for every month where you paid for what you weren’t getting, plus the cost of filing the suit. If enough outraged customers file the expense, even for Verizon, would be astronomical. Management may decide it’s cheaper to be honorable. Cable companies impose draconian contracts because consumers don’t fight back. Besides small claims court you can contact your city and state consumer affairs department, your local legislator and the Better Business Bureau to complain about abusive business practices. Consumers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains!
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Michael R. Shannon (The Whole Shebang (mostly)) is a Virginia-based public relations and media consultant with MANDATE: Message, Media & Public Relations who has worked in over 75 elections on three continents and a handful of islands.