Consumers Affected
500
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced an investigation into Altice Optimum based on nearly 500 consumer complaints regarding slow internet speeds, hidden fees, and poor customer service. The investigation, launched under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, seeks records dating back to January 2017 to determine potential violations. This follows a prior $60 million settlement with Frontier Communications for similar consumer protection issues.
In-house legal teams should prioritize reviewing all customer-facing service agreements, including residential internet service contracts and terms of service. Specific clauses to scrutinize are: (1) Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and speed guarantee clauses to ensure advertised speeds (e.g., 300/400 Mbps) are contractually guaranteed with clear remedies for failure; (2) Fee disclosure and billing transparency sections to identify and eliminate ambiguous or undisclosed fees like the 'Network Enhancement Fee'; (3) Customer service and technical support commitments, including response time guarantees; and (4) Termination provisions related to service failures. Contracts may need revision to include measurable performance metrics, explicit fee schedules, and clear consumer remedies for non-compliance, aligning with state unfair trade practices standards.
Entity
Altice Optimum
Industry
Telecommunications$2.0M
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of four other states and the FTC sued Zillow and Redfin after Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to shut down its multifamily rental advertising business and transfer clients to Zillow. The settlement requires the companies to restore competition, with Redfin rebuilding its apartment advertising business, and pay $2 million to the coalition.
Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to the Connecticut Insurance Department urging rejection of double-digit rate increases sought by Anthem, ConnectiCare, and UnitedHealthcare for individual and small group health insurance plans covering about 220,000 people. The letter argues the rates exceed inflationary measures and criticizes the carriers for failing to control costs and for poor claims system management, particularly ConnectiCare's transition to Molina Healthcare.
$275K
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $275,000 settlement with TaxAct, an online tax preparation company, over allegations that between January 2018 and December 2022, TaxAct improperly disclosed detailed customer financial information to Meta and Google through third-party tracking technologies without notifying taxpayers. The settlement requires TaxAct to pay $275,000 and implement new third-party tracking compliance measures, including a review committee, written policies, a tag monitoring system, and two independent third-party audits.
$4.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and the Federal Trade Commission announced a $4 million settlement with Manchester City Nissan (Chase Nissan LLC) resolving allegations that the dealership double-charged for 'certified pre-owned' vehicles and collected unauthorized junk fees. The settlement requires payment for consumer redress, prohibits misrepresentations, mandates clear disclosure of the maximum total price, and requires express informed consent for all charges.
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and DHS to block demands for the personal information of 17 million CDL drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data transfer.
Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 10 attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging a new OCC rule that preempts state laws requiring national banks to pay interest on homeowners' mortgage escrow accounts. The lawsuit argues the OCC ignored federal court decisions and bypassed safeguards, and seeks to block the rule.