FTC Puts $1.9M Kink in Phone Bill Crammer's Wallet 72
coondoggie writes to mention that the three largest companies in the billing aggregation market have been hit with a $1.9 million fine in response to the more than $30 million in bogus charges added to consumer's bills. The ringleader of the scam however, Willoughby Farr of Nationwide Connections, has been hit with $35 million and a lifetime ban. "Today's settlement would prohibit the companies from misrepresenting that consumers are obligated to pay for telecommunications charges that have not been expressly authorized. It also would be barred from billing or submitting any telecommunications charges for billing on a consumer's telephone bill unless such charge has been expressly authorized. [...] The FTC still has a case pending against other principals in this case: Yaret Garcia, Erika Riaboukha, and Qaadir Kaid. One other defendant Mary Lou Farr, has already settled with the FTC."
What about Telcos? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:What about Telcos? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Decentralize (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:My Bill is always wrong (Score:5, Interesting)
My damn union just started doing this sort of deceitful, unethical crap. I'm a teacher. Teachers like myself in California are represented by the California Faculty Association (CFA). You do not have to be a member of the union, you can choose not to be. However if you choose not to be then the union still legally charges you 75% of the dues a normal member pays. Their argument is that the union negotiates and defends to the benefit of all employees and thus all employees should pay their fair share, known as an agency fee. Because California is not a right to work state you cannot refuse to pay. If you do then the union can mandate that you be fired.
I would argue that the union doesn't represent me. Every action they take punishes people in my position and is aimed at rewarding the less competent, less educated or lower paid instructors. So what does this all have to with the article?
Starting last month the union started deducting 100% of dues from non-members. These people are not given the same rights and privileges as members. Oh, buried on the second to last page of a yearly CFA report is the information that you can object to the additional 25% if you send a written letter with personal information to the CFA. It's just like the damn phone company. I know they did it just hoping that some percentage wouldn't notice, or wouldn't bother, to send such a letter in.
The thing that really bugs me is how is this even legal??? If they can just arbitrarily take an extra $10.00 from my paycheck why not, $50, $500?? How is it legal to reach into another man's salary and take something that is not legally owed to them?
Ayn Rand had it right.