Minnesota Stands Up for Overcharged Customers

Hundreds of complaints from Minnesotans against Sprint Nextel have been heard by Attorney General Lori Swanson. In a lawsuit against the carrier filed earlier this week, she accused the company of extending customers' contracts without their informed consent, and seeks restitution of up to $25,000 per incident.

The allegation is that the company used "hidden trip wires" to lock customers into lengthy contracts whenever minor plan changes were made. If true, it is a violation of Minnesota state laws that require adequate information to be supplied to customers, and knowing consent be obtained before any contract terms are altered.

Many customers attempted to cancel plans they thought had lapsed, only to be met with a $200 cancellation fee because their contracts had been extended without their knowledge.

Sprint Nextel says its policy is to review customers' contracts before changes to their account are made, and that written confirmations are sent in tandem with policy changes. It will issue no statement regarding the case until company lawyers can review the suit.