Lifestyle
Government Fining Comcast Over $2M for Customer Mischarges
Comcast has been ordered by the federal government to pay a fine of $2.3 million for “negative option billing.” NPR writes, “Officials say it is the largest civil penalty imposed on a cable operator.”
MarketWatch.com explains that when Comcast tacked on extra charges to consumers’ bills for items that the customer didn’t order (like premium channels or extra equipment), the issue is referred to as “negative option billing.” In some cases, customers even explicitly said they did not want the products when they were offered. This is taken seriously by the FCC.
Travis LeBlanc, the chief of the Enforcement Bureau at the FCC, released a statement, saying, “It is basic that a cable bill should include charges only for services and equipment ordered by the customer—nothing more and nothing less. We expect all cable and phone companies to take responsibility for the accuracy of their bills and to ensure their customers have authorized any charges.”
As ABC points out, Comcast claims they made a profit of over $8 million last year, so this fine isn’t going to hurt the company financially. But it certainly does grab the attention of customers who might be weary to order services from the company.
