CONSUMER ACTIVISM KILLS AT&T’S UNFAIR SERVICE AGREEMENT

TURN and our allies have succeeded in putting the kibosh on AT&T’s unfair and one-sided service agreement.  In a new agreement recently mailed to millions of AT&T customers in California, AT&T has eliminated most of the provisions that TURN objected to.  Over 2,000 consumers signed petitions or letters demanding a stop to the original agreement, and demanding the elimination of provisions severely limited customer rights.

"This victory is the result of consumers standing up, speaking out and fighting back," said TURN executive director Mark Toney.  Toney said the legal challenges filed by TURN and the CPUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates were part of a broader consumer response including the petition, letters and personal testimonies presented at CPUC meetings.  "Consumers said no to this agreement in no uncertain terms," said Toney, "and they said it loudly."

A revised agreement recently mailed to customers incorporates key consumer demands:

• Provisions allowing AT&T to change the terms, conditions and prices of service without notifying customers have been replaced with 30 day notification requirements.
• Provisions requiring binding arbitration and forbidding class actions have been eliminated.
• The dense, 18 page document has been replaced with one that is significantly shorter & written more in plain English.