Anne Bucher  |  December 14, 2013

Category: Closed Class Actions

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Sprint surcharges class action settlement

A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit alleging that Sprint Communications Company improperly disclosed and/or collected certain monthly charges from individual customers. If you are a current or former Sprint account holder and were charged or subject to Sprint surcharges on any or all wireless lines of service from Jan. 1, 2007 and Oct. 8, 2013, you could be eligible to receive either cash or non-cash benefits.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members of the Sprint surcharges class action settlement include all current and former consumer accountholders who were charged or subject to Sprint surcharges on any or all wireless lines of service from Jan. 1, 2007 and Oct. 8, 2013. The Settlement Class does not include governmental or corporate accounts. The class action settlement also established a sub-class of individuals who did not receive notice of the Sprint surcharge increases. The Sub-Class Members generally fall into one or more of the following categories:

  • Individual Liable Accounts that were opened on or after November 11, 2007, and on or before December 31, 2007;
  • Individual Liable Accounts that were on suspension on November 11, 2007, but that were subsequently reinstated;
  • Individual Liable Accounts that were opened on or after October 5, 2008, and on or before December 31, 2008;
  • Individual Liable Accounts that were on suspension on October 5, 2008, but that were subsequently reinstated;
  • Individual Liable Accounts that were opened as new accounts in Sprint retail stores in 2009;
  • Individual Liable Accounts that were opened on or after November 8, 2009, and on or before December 31, 2009; and
  • Individual Liable Accounts that were on suspension on November 8, 2009, but that were subsequently reinstated.
Potential Award

Varies. Class Members will be eligible to choose a cash benefit valued at $1 or one of the following non-cash benefits from the class action settlement:

  • A 30-minute long distance, domestic calling card;
  • A 30 percent discount on any accessory purchased at a Sprint-owned retail store, limited to one accessory; or
  • A waiver of the $36 activation fee when activating a new line of service under Sprint’s then-existing Terms & Conditions of Services.
Proof of Purchase

Not required.

Claim Form Deadline

3/24/2014

Case Name

Eric Barkwell, et al., v. Sprint Communications Company, Case No. 4:09-cv-00056-CLD, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Columbus Division

Case Summary

The Sprint surcharge settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit (Barkwell, et al. v. Sprint Communications Company) that alleges Sprint improperly disclosed and/or charged certain monthly surcharges that the company collects to defray costs including but not limited to costs associated with government programs and network connections.

Sprint has denied the allegations but has agreed to a class action settlement that was preliminarily approved on Oct. 10, 2013. Under the terms of the settlement, Sprint will review and revise its policies to clearly inform consumers about the surcharges.

Final Hearing

4/10/2014

Settlement Website

www.SprintSurchargeSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Barkwell v. Sprint
c/o Gilardi & Co. LLC
P.O. Box 808003
Petaluma, CA 94975-8003
1-866-571-4407
info@SprintSurchargeSettlement.com

Class Counsel

E. Adam Webb Esq.
Matthew C. Klase Esq.
WEBB KLASE AND LEMOND LLC

Defense Counsel

H. Wayne Phears Esq.
R. Patrick Dover Esq.
MCGUIREWOODS LLP

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34 thoughts onSprint Surcharge Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

  1. Roberta Brown says:

    sprint takes money for all countys even if you don’t live there or ever been around them.now lets talk about roaming surcharge.that is scaming you alland me for years and then say well that’s the way its set up.sorry but nothing you can do about this .we work hard for our money .why should sprint get off so easy.if this was you or me we would loose ity all because we are little people.that work sand trys to keep our heads above water to live.

  2. Neilda says:

    This is awful have been with sprint 7 years Who is getting the money lawyers

  3. teces says:

    my husband was with sprint for 10-years and it was always a $10.00 surcharge, 2003 to 2013 that is a lot of money, just to get $1.00 back. I think that is wrong, because if you don’t pay your bill, they will cut you off. So I feel that they need to pay everybody their $10.00 back for every month that they charge their customs.

  4. darylkw says:

    Okay, I read it, and re-read it several times to see why the lawsuit. It never alleged that Sprint over-charges for these surcharges…it says that Sprint “improperly disclosed and/or charged certain monthly surcharges that the company collects to defray costs including but not limited to…” So, its a billing issue that was not being properly stated as to what a part of the bill was being collected for. So, to me, this kind of explains why there is such a small monetary figure being an acceptable offer to settle.

  5. Jeri says:

    How about we pay only $1 a month for our phone bill to continue being a customer.

    1. george says:

      $1.00 is a joke, but I will gladly pay more than that to talk to Jeri

  6. NATE says:

    YEA, $1 isnt alot compared to what we paid out for several years.

  7. Linda says:

    I agree with John. $1.00 is a joke.

  8. John L says:

    You have to be kidding me! I just got my sprint bill today 12/16/2013, guess what the surcharge is still on it! This a enormous slap in the face for every Sprint customer . At $10 dollars a month for six years, If my math is right comes out to a lot more than $1. This is a shame to let a multi billion dollar company steal their customers money like this. The legal parties involved in this settlement should hang their heads in shame, and the court system that allows this type of crime should also be ashamed of their inactions for the common people. This is exactly why there is so much corruption in this country because there is no deterrent for those who want to manipulate for their own greed. I wish the news media would get their teeth into this matter then possibly we could get the real justice we deserve. I myself am going to cancel sprints service. If hundreds of thousands of customers did the same I’m sure we would see a different outcome. $1 WHAT A JOKE

  9. julie says:

    what exactly is this surcharge? what am I looking for on my bill? Is it the $4.99 they charge per month for not doing automatic payments?

  10. Ashley says:

    I am happy to see that Sprint has been confronted about their illegal practices. For years I have been complaining to them about this “surcharge.” This additional surprise fee was never disclosed to us when we signed up for our plan and committed to their service. Everytime I bring it up, the customer service person has no real explanation for this, other than to repeat that this is a “surcharge” by some higher ups in the company. Even now that they have itemized the list, the clear majority of the fee is “administrative” fees. This is bogus. How can they be allowed to continue to charge this fee? While I am happy that they are being sued, the settlement terms are ridiculous. Giving people $1 back for years of charging over $10 a month for something they never disclosed and we have no idea what it is unacceptable. If they are allowed to charge this, then each customer should be allowed to reduce their monthly bill by their own “administrative assessment fee.”

    1. Andre says:

      Yes they been stealing from me for months and big company’s like this should pay back every penny stolen and the penlites that have accrued! to send a message DON’T LIE@ STEAL.

    2. edstar says:

      opt out they should offer more!

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