Post subject: Web/phone service sued over consumer access to 911
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 2:04 am
Got Some
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:52 pm Posts: 1727 Location: Earth Gender: Male
Web/phone service sued over consumer access to 911 Wednesday, March 23, 2005
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- Texas sued the nation's largest Internet-based phone service provider Tuesday, saying Vonage failed to clearly inform customers they cannot automatically dial 911 when they sign up.
The lawsuit follows a case last month when a 17-year-old Houston girl was unable to call 911 on her family's Vonage service during an armed robbery in which her parents were shot and wounded. The girl ran to a neighbor's home and called for help.
The suit was filed under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and seeks to require Vonage Holdings Corp. to more clearly inform consumers that they must separately sign up for the 911 feature.
"People find out too late that this service might not be available," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said at a news conference Tuesday attended by members of the family whose home was robbed.
Vonage spokeswoman Brooke Schulz said customers are informed of the separate activation on two pages on the Internet registration form. She also said that e-mail notifications are sent to customers who fail to activate the emergency service.
"We're at a loss as to what they want us to change, but we're open to any changes they want," Schulz said.
Abbott wants Vonage to include the information in advertising and include a checkoff on the service agreement to make sure people know.
He said information about the type of emergency service Vonage offers is found in the fine print on the Web site, but it is not explained on television commercials or brochures. Customers who sign up for service through call centers also are not told.
The lawsuit seeks $20,000 per violation. Abbott said he did not know how many violations there would be.
Edison, New Jersey-based Vonage has more than 500,000 subscribers.
_________________ "The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." -Noam Chomsky
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:52 pm Posts: 1727 Location: Earth Gender: Male
towelie wrote:
They're not talking about cell phones. This is internet-based telephone for your home.
Awwww....my mistake.
_________________ "The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." -Noam Chomsky
Post subject: Re: Web/phone service sued over consumer access to 911
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:14 pm
too drunk to moderate properly
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
IEB! wrote:
"We're at a loss as to what they want us to change, but we're open to any changes they want," Schulz said.
How about you just let people have the fucking 911 service so that they don't die? That would be nice.
"How could we have known that people wouldn't read the service agreement while simultaneously ignoring any e-mails we sent them as spam?"
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
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