Verizon has been under investigation for nearly a year by the government for millions in ‘mystery fees’ it charged customers. Verizon has finally confessed that it had charged millions in fees to customers without warrant, which it now says it will refund.
In a statement released Sunday, Federal Communications Commission Enforcement Bureau Chief Michele Ellison said "We can confirm reports of an FCC investigation into mystery fees that appeared on Verizon Wireless bills costing over 15 million Americans tens of millions of dollars."
The question remains as to why it took Verizon a whole two years to come clean about the mystery fees and agree to repay. While the whole reimbursement may cost Verizon in the vicinity of $50 million, most customers will be reimbursed in the region of $2 to $6 for their individual overcharges.
Some of the overcharged fees involved the use of application demonstrations that come preloaded on Verizon mobiles, while others are in connection with the company’s mobile internet service. The Verizon Mobile Web browser charges a steep $1.99 per megabyte to customers who don’t have a prepaid or bundled internet package.
Usage, according to Verizon, is only charged when a person navigates away from the Verizon home or customer care pages, however it now appears customers were charged the hefty usage rate even when simply opening the Verizon home page.
The fault is thought to lie in the billing software, however the untimely manner in which Verizon is dealing with the issue has been heavily criticized.
