Class Action Lawsuit against Verizon over V710

[Tempus]

You can find it in Todays Wall Street Journal Online or Print, but Online requires a subscription.

Extract:

A group of cellphone users has filed an unusual lawsuit in a California court against Verizon Wireless, charging the nation's second-largest cellular carrier with deceit for disabling certain features of a new high-end Motorola Inc. phone called the V710.

The main charge: Verizon Wireless removed much of the phone's Bluetooth technology -- a short-range wireless system -- so subscribers would have to pay to use the company's network to send things such as e-mail, photos and calendar entries to other devices. The lawsuit, recently filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks class-action status.

By CHRISTOPHER RHOADS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
January 13, 2005; Page B1

[flyingprius]

I'm sure someone down the thread will whine that "people sue over everything these days", but I thoroughly applaud the actions of the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit. My Verizon V710 has been the source of such negative feelings and frustration towards Verizon. Overall, Verizon has an excellent product and excellent service (confirmed by Consumer Reports), but they have failed miserably with this phone. There are many features in the phone that I paid for that Verizon disabled and when I confronted Verizon with it, I got a basic "Screw you, we do what we want" type of response.

I felt pretty powerless after that, but now that some very angry and vocal customers are fighting back, and maybe my phone will work properly with my Prius; that's my only hope. I don't want Verizon to suffer or some group of customers to win a large sum of money, I just want my 300 dollar phone to do what it was advertised to do!

[TonyPSchaefer]

I'll tell ya what: these days, people sue over everything!

didn't want to dissapoint flyingprius. :-)

[jimofdg]

I love the Prius and the factory it was built in, (so) Tsutsumi.

[hdrygas]

I an will try to find the law firm and join in the suit. I am mad and feel very cheated. Their was to be an up date by November and that has not been released.

[tag]

Name of the firm is Kirtland & Packard. URL = www.kirtlandpackard.com

I don't believe the court has certified the class yet and don't believe there is any need to join; everyone in the class will generally be bound by the decision except for those who decide to opt out.

[IsrAmeriPrius]

I cannot help but wonder how many of the posters who criticized the class action law suit alleging that Toyota led potential Prius buyers to have unrealistically high gas mileage expectations are planning to be members of the class in the law suit against Verizon Wireless.

[flyingprius]

IsrAmeriPrius,
The natures of the two suits are a little different.
Customers can drive a car however they want and that may result in lower than expected gas mileage; end of story.

An example synonymous to the Verizon example is Toyota advertising a Prius with Smart Key System and Navigation for a premium. The customer buys the Prius with the Smart Key System and the Navigation; however, once he drives home he realizes they have been disabled. The customer furiously complains to Toyota; Toyota then claims that the Smart Entry and Navigation must be activated by a special software, Toyotatech! For only 49.99 a month, the customer can buy Toyotatech and actually use the features they paid a premium for in the first place... The customer is especially annoyed because he was never told that he needed Toyotatech in the first place!

You will likely be livid to the point of using bad words and ready to break someone's neck too!

[IsrAmeriPrius]

flyingprius,

Not a good parallel.

VeriZon promised Bluetooth capabilities without specifying which particular features will be offered on the V710. The phone is definitely Bluetooth enabled. It just does not support certain protocols that buyers expected it to have; however, those capabilities were not advertised by VeriZon as being present on the V710.

Dissatisfied customers had the option of returning the phone after the 15 days (30 in California) free trial period.

This law suit is as bogus as the one accusing Toyota of misleading the Prius buyers about its gas mileage.

Just my humble opinion with twenty-eight years of practicing law to back it up.

[hdrygas]

I just sent a E-mail to the law firm. I am a physician and you can only imagine what talking to a lawyer means to the level of disgust I have at this point for Verizon. They have been nothing short or rude with me on this subject.