Are you a customer of
TracFone Wireless, Inc. (“TracFone”) or its brands Straight Talk,
Net10,
Simple Mobile, or Telcel America? If so, you may be in for a refund thanks to a recent settlement between the Federal Trade Commission
(“FTC”) and TracFone, the largest prepaid mobile service provider in the United States.
The FTC investigation found that since 2009, the company advertised unlimited data usage but drastically slowed or cut off consumers’ mobile data after they exceeded a certain amount of data usage in a 30-day period. In some cases, the company even terminated
all the services of some customers, including talk, text, and data services.
According to the settlement, TracFone has agreed to pay $40 million in customer refunds to the FTC. Customers, who had an “unlimited” data plan with one of TracFone’s brands prior to January 1, 2015, and whose data service was slowed or cut off, can file
a claim to see if they are eligible for a refund. Consumers who are unsure if their data service was slowed or cut off should still file a claim to find out if they qualify for a refund. More information is available through the
third-party settlement administrator’s website or by calling (855) 312-3327 or emailing info@prepaidphonerefund.com.
Reports on TracFone and its brands are available on the
Business Consumer Alliance website, where consumers can also file a complaint or leave a review about a business.
About the Author:
Nicole Pitts is a Senior Business Analyst and Editor for Business Consumer Alliance. She has been with the organization for 12 years and specializes in report writing, business evaluation, and investigations. Nicole corresponds with businesses regarding
complaint trends and provides suggestions to help them alleviate problem areas that may cause concern. She also conducts advertisement reviews, reports on government enforcement actions, and assists government agencies and the media in obtaining information.
She enjoys reading, movies, and spending time with her family. Nicole can be reached by email at npitts@businessconsumeralliance.org.