Dec. 31 is deadline for Verizon, Sprint ‘cramming’ refund

Verizon (VZ) and Sprint (S) customers could be eligible for refunds relating to the companies’ “cramming” settlement in May. They resolved allegations that Verizon and Sprint placed charges on consumers’ mobile phone bills for third-party services that had not been authorized by the consumer, a practice known as “mobile cramming”.

That same year, AT&T agreed to pay $105 million to settle similar cramming accusations. Time is running out for you to file a claim related to a multi-million settlement the companies announced earlier this year.

“Consumers should demand refunds and they are due them as long as they do it by December 31”, said Sen.

Anyone with additional questions or looking to see if they’re eligible can contact Sprint’s Legal/Regulatory and Consumer Resources (1-877-389-8787) or Verizon’s Wireless Premium SMS Refund Program (1-888-726-7063).

The Sprint and Verizon refunds deadline for unauthorized charges is coming up soon. In these cases, the word is used to describe the practice of charging customers hidden fees by writing the fees deep into the often hard to read cell phone bills. Verizon will add $650 to your wallet to migrate from T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint.

Most of the affected customers were lured via online advertisements that would direct them to websites after they clicked on the ads. Both companies were reported to have made huge profits by allowing these third party services to cram customer’s phones. According to the complaint, Sprint “charged its customers by creating a billing and payment-processing system that gave third parties virtually unfettered access to its customers’ accounts” and Sprint “automatically enrolled its customers in its third-party billing system without their knowledge”.

Both companies have created pages to help you get through the process and apply for your refund. If you have a family of four, you can switch everyone over for up to $2600 ($650 x 4) to cover any termination costs.

If you’ve been meaning to drop your network carrier but have yet to find a formidable replacement, Verizon Communications, Inc. may have just laid out the best mobile offer yet.