M-Blox, M-Qube, OpenMarket "free" costs Verizon $1.5M

[El Gringo]

Verizon agrees to refund some ringtone fees in Florida
June 24, 2009

If some weird charges for ringtones popped up on your Verizon Wireless bill lately, there may be a rebate in your future.

Verizon Wireless and the Florida Attorney General announced a settlement Wednesday that lets customers get their money back if they downloaded supposedly "free" ringtones, music or horoscopes that ended up costing $20 or more a month.

The deal is similar to a settlement the attorney general's office made with AT&T wireless last year over such downloads that ended up far from free.

The problem was, customers would see TV commercials for free downloads, typically late at night, and sign up for them through their Verizon Wireless phone.

Unfortunately, the very fine print might have said the "free" download triggered a recurring monthly charge from companies with mysterious names like "OpenMarket," "M-Qube" and "M-Blox."

Customers trying to complain they didn't intend to buy any subscription were caught between Verizon, which claimed they were just fulfilling an order, and the third-party company, which was often unreachable.

Though there isn't a formal count of victims, the attorney general estimates thousands of Florida consumers received such charges unjustly.

The settlement calls for Verizon to change the display of such advertisements on phone screens so the word "free" can't appear prominently unless the product or service is truly free. The settlement does not apply to any ringtone or other service bought directly from Verizon.

In Florida, consumers can get rebates directly from Verizon. In the next few weeks, Verizon plans to notify customers about the rebate offer through e-mail and bill inserts. Soon, the company will set up a hotline or other method for customers to contact the company for rebates, said spokesman Chuck Hamby.

the $1.5M appears to reder to the attorney general’s investigation

http://www.panhandleparade.com/index...nt/mbb7717364/
Florida Cell Customers Awarded $30 Million in Settlement
06/24/09

Tallahassee, Fla:

Verizon and Alltel have agreed to refund an estimated $30 million to Florida cell phone customers who were unwittingly billed for services such as ringtones, music and wallpaper.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum says his investigators found lots of examples of online advertising where something was described as free, but then customers were billed for it often with a recurring, monthly charge.

The charges mysteriously appear on a customer’s cell phone bill with a vague name such as “OpenMarket” or “M-Blox.”

McCollum says the new agreement prohibits third-party companies from hiding charges for cell phone content in the fine print. Now they will be forced to advertise the price clearly.

If you unknowingly subscribed to a service that is billed through Verizon, you are eligible for a refund. McCollum says you’ll have to submit a claim to get the cash. Verizon customers will get a credit on their bill.

McCollum says the agreement also forces Verizon to make sure that any ads billed through their service comply with Unfair and Deceptive Practices laws. He says that’s even more important than the refunds because now Verizon will help state investigators police the Internet for violations in the future.

Verizon and Alltel will pay the state $1.5 million to pay for the attorney general’s investigation.

i wonder if m-Blox is going to help out. Andrew bud's mBlox also gets a lot of consumer complaints in the US but Andrew's mBlox lacks the '-'

and also aren't OpenMarket Scott Richter/Ringaza ? now who used to be their partner in 'premium rate crime' in the US. Opera Interactive aka Opera Telecom aka Oxygen8 ?