Thursday, July 16, 2009
Breaking News / Kotz / Law and Order / The Economy Scumbag of the Week: DISH Network Forced to Pay $6 Million
Posted by Pete Kotz on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 12:54 PM
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Though Sen. Bob Corker isn't big on consumer protection, we can be thankful that the nation's attorneys general are. Forty-six states reached a settlement today with satellite provider DISH Network over the commission of vast acts of scumbaggery.
It's only for $6 million dollars, and Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper says the state's take will be a mere $325,000, but at least someone's standing up to predator companies like this. As the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes, DISH Networks attacks on its own customers were as sweeping as they were shameful:
The settlement resolves the states' allegations, including that DISH Network: refused to accept responsibility for the misconduct of its third-party retailers and installers; made telemarketing calls to consumers in violation of do-not-call registries; failed to disclose all terms and conditions of their customer agreements, including the availability of rebates, credits and free offers; did not disclose that purchased or leased equipment was previously used and/or refurbished; made reference to competitors' price offers when the goods or services being compared were materially different; and charged customer credit cards and debited bank accounts without providing adequate notice and obtaining appropriate authorization.
