From today’s Seattle Times:
Comcast violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act by charging nearly 31,000 residents without their knowledge for a service-protection plan, a King County Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.
But the order by Judge Timothy Bradshaw also rejected parts of what started as a $100 million lawsuit alleging “deceptive” practices surrounding repair fees and credit checks brought against the Philadelphia-based company by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson in 2016.
Ferguson in late 2017 expanded that complaint to include allegations about the service-protection plans. Those plans — which at that time cost $5.99 per month — are intended to cover repairs for customer-owned wiring related to Xfinity voice, TV and internet service.
In Thursday’s order, Bradshaw imposed $9.1 million in civil penalties against Comcast. He directed the company to pay additional money in restitution to the affected customers within 60 days, according to a news release from the Attorney General’s Office.
The ruling found that Comcast had signed up 30,946 Washington residents to the plan without their consent, according to the news release. Additionally, the company did not reveal the true cost of the plan to another 18,660 state residents.
Read the complete article here.