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A California federal judge has thrown out most of a class action lawsuit that charged Comcast with marketing broadband service plans without disclosing extra fees for cable modem equipment.
The head plaintiff, Athanassios Diacakis, claimed Comcast sold Triple Play promotions over the phone and in the media without mentioning customers would also have to pay additional fees to lease a cable modem. Diacakis accused the cable operator of violating California’s tough false-advertising laws by not fully disclosing all fees and surcharges while explaining the promotion.
U.S. District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong disagreed, however, dismissing most of the plaintiffs claims. The judge didn’t declare Diacakis’ claims untrue, but ruled they were insufficiently documented to proceed to trial.
“The [amended complaint] fails to specify when or where Comcast advertisements were viewed, the content of those advertisements, or which of them in particular Plaintiff relied upon,” Armstrong wrote.
Diacakis is free to submit an amended complaint if he wishes to proceed with his class action case.
Comcast charges customers $7 a month to lease cable modem equipment, but invites customers to purchase their own cable modems to avoid rental fees. Many customers do just that, choosing from several dozen approved models Comcast will provision for broadband customers. The cost to purchase cable modem equipment ranges from $50-125 on average, depending on the cable modem selected. It takes less than two years for purchased cable modems to effectively pay for themselves at Comcast’s current rental rate.
Other stories of interest:
- Frontier Communications Boosts DSL Modem Rental Fee to $6.99 Per Month
- ‘Tis The Season for Comcast Rate Hikes: Cable Modem Rental Increases to $5 Per Month
- When Comcast’s ‘Free Upgrades’ Cost Consumers $2 More Per Month
- Frontier Gouges Customers With New, Mandatory Modem Fee (Even If You Own Your Own)
- Frontier’s Modem Rental Fee: $7/Month; Wireless Router Fee Now $14.99/Month
[...] and were only notified on a “paltry postcard.” Comcast faced a similar lawsuit, which was dismissed in January. Phone Maintenance Android "Clear Leader" In Smartphone Race Says Report – [...]
[...] Not surprisingly, Time Warner already faces class-action lawsuits in New York and New Jersey by customers who claim they didn’t receive the required 30-day notice from the company, and were only notified on a “paltry postcard.” Comcast faced a similar lawsuit, which was dismissed in January. [...]
Hello,
Do you know if other states in addition to NY and NJ, specifically
South Carolina, are filing class action suites against Time Warner?
Thank you.
This is a private lawsuit, not one done by state governments. It will presumably include all affected customers nationwide if certified a class action case.
I wouldn’t hold out for a big refund. Visit our home page and mouse-over the modem fee investigation graphic, then click the headline link and you can get plenty of information on how to buy your own modem and stop the fee.