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Comcast Settles Georgia Overcharging Suit
Though the customers impacted won't see a dime...
by Karl Bode Wednesday 25-Nov-2009 tags: legal · business · bandwidth · cable · Oddities
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Comcast has settled a nearly four year customer class action lawsuit. The suit alleged that Comcast, even as far back as when it was AT&T Broadband, overcharged franchise fees -- in some instances for periods of time when customers weren't even active subscribers. The amusing part is that even though the amounts were fairly small to begin with, subscribers won't see a dime. However, the lawyers for the class action suit get a tidy payday of $462,962.50, nine times the actual settlement. On the plus side, Comcast has agreed to donate $50,000 to one or more local charities.

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hep cat
do da dirdy bird

join:2001-02-17
Decatur, GA

funny

That is just too funny. Didn't expect a dime from this silly suit anyway. That's why I never even bothered keeping up with it.
--
Bowling: It's cleaner than baseball.
DJ_Kismuth

join:2001-11-25
Chicago, IL

Proofreading?

The first sentence in the "article" is not a proper sentence, and makes no sense. I know this is the internet, but still...

fatmanskinny
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Wandering

Re: Proofreading?

I pikt it uhp, two.
NOCTech75

join:2009-06-29
Marietta, GA
Reviews:
·Comcast
·AT&T Southeast
said by DJ_Kismuth:

The first sentence in the "article" is not a proper sentence, and makes no sense. I know this is the internet, but still...
It's the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation, this is the norm for them.

GKI
Premium
join:2007-07-19
Tacoma, WA

Re: Proofreading?

This is Bode's bad. The link to the newspaper story is provided, and it's grammatically ok in my eyes. Karl needs proofreading.
--
I hate quotes. Tell me what you know - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Simba7

join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT
"According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Comcast has settled a nearly four year customers."

I agree. I read this, then reread this.. Only to go "Huh??"
hottboiinnc
ME

join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

Re: Proofreading?

same here.

hootabius

join:2009-02-12

1 edit

Damn lawyers

"However, the lawyers for the class action suit get a tidy payday of $462,962.50, nine times the actual settlement"

How the hell does that work? Even though Comcast was in the wrong, they are basically taking the money that they overcharged and giving it directly to already-wealthy lawyers instead of returning it to the people it was taken from.

The lawyers in this case are the real criminals and practices like this need to be stopped.
Desdinova
Premium
join:2003-01-26
Gaithersburg, MD

Re: Damn lawyers

From the article:

'A Comcast spokesman said going through every bill for each of its Georgia customers would be time-consuming and laborious, given that the disputed charges go back to Oct. 20, 1999. That spokesman, Andy Macke, said while customers may have been overcharged in some years, they were undercharged in others.

"From a practical standpoint, you'd have to go through every customer's bill, see when they connected and when they disconnected and calculate the bill," Macke said, explaining in metro Atlanta alone, the company has 800,000 cable subscribers, the bulk of its Georgia customers.

"It would be an impractical exercise considering the amount of money on a per-subscriber basis that we're talking about. We'd be talking about less than one dollar."

So attorney's racked up almost a half million dollars in legal fees fighting for $50,000 in charitable donations while Comcast spent Lord knows how much more fighting that $50,000. Awesome. (Okay, I know that comment's a bit spurious; Comcast was fighting a judgment of any kind and I doubt they knew how small the number would be or I'm guessing they would have just settled from the beginning.)

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4
said by hootabius:

"However, the lawyers for the class action suit get a tidy payday of $462,962.50, nine times the actual settlement"

How the hell does that work? Even though Comcast was in the wrong, they are basically taking the money that they overcharged and giving it directly to already-wealthy lawyers instead of returning it to the people it was taken from.

The lawyers in this case are the real criminals and practices like this need to be stopped.
and to top it off, they'll write off the 50k as a charitable contribution.
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee
Desdinova
Premium
join:2003-01-26
Gaithersburg, MD

Re: Damn lawyers

Well, according to the suit, it IS a charitable donation. Comcast is donating $50,000 to various charities in lieu of tracking down every customer affected and paying them less than a dollar.

P Ness
You'Ve Forgotten 9-11 Already
Premium
join:2001-08-29
way way out

Re: Damn lawyers

said by Desdinova:

Well, according to the suit, it IS a charitable donation. Comcast is donating $50,000 to various charities in lieu of tracking down every customer affected and paying them less than a dollar.
its called computers.

you know things that make batch searches easy.

Simba7

join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT

Re: Damn lawyers

"OMG.. It'll take more than a few minutes to do this? Let's just donate $50k and call it done".

I swear, if people get any lazier...
Desdinova
Premium
join:2003-01-26
Gaithersburg, MD
I don't disagree, I'm just regurgitating Comcast's bile!
jjeffeory

join:2002-12-04
USA
This is generally how MOST class actions that I've seen work. And not all lawyers are wealthy...

Simba7

join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT

Re: Damn lawyers

said by jjeffeory:

And not all lawyers are wealthy...
I kinda doubt that.

cork1958
Cork
Premium
join:2000-02-26
said by hootabius:

"However, the lawyers for the class action suit get a tidy payday of $462,962.50, nine times the actual settlement"

How the hell does that work? Even though Comcast was in the wrong, they are basically taking the money that they overcharged and giving it directly to already-wealthy lawyers instead of returning it to the people it was taken from.

The lawyers in this case are the real criminals and practices like this need to be stopped.
Man,
I'd have to agree. How the hell does that work out for the people?

Hope those people in Georgia enjoyed that screwing they just took!!

I'm sure it didn't take Comcast that long to go through and over charge everyone?

Yeah,
That first sentence is about messed up!!
What illiterates!! Was probably written by a Comcast person!!
--
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»www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/
Ga Dawg

join:2003-09-11
Marietta, GA

Charity

They say that charity begins at home.

Comcast can feel free to start with my home.

yolarry

join:2007-12-29
Creston, WV

charities hmmm?

more like a CEO Vacation

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