Wireless carriers advertise cell phone plans at fixed prices, but more often than not, the fine details in those contracts could be littered with other chargers that may not be as clear to customers. That’s basically at the center of a class action lawsuit aimed at Verizon Wireless, in which plaintiffs allege that the advertised plans were misleading because they didn’t include an admin charge — going further to claim that an increase in the administrative charge was done in a deceptive and unfair manner.
The lawsuit has led to a $100 million settlement that could mean up to $100 payments made to current or former Verizon Wireless who bought a postpaid wireless plan in the past seven years. This is all contingent upon the settlement being approved and finalized, which Verizon would then pay out to a settlement fund.
While the plaintiffs claim to have been misled about the admin charge, Verizon responded in a statement to CNET saying that it “clearly identifies and describes its wireless consumer Admin Charge multiple times during the sales transaction, as well as in its marketing, contracts and billing. This charge helps our company recover certain regulatory compliance and network-related costs."
Here’s how you can claim your share.
Verizon class action settlement — who is eligible for this $100 million?
If you are a current or former Verizon Wireless customer who paid for postpaid wireless service from Verizon between January 1, 2016 and November 8, 2023 (and have paid for the administrative or administrative and telco recovery charge), you’re eligible to claim your share in this $100 million Verizon class action lawsuit.
Some customers were already sent a notice about this settlement via email or mail, which means they’re eligible to file a claim. This settlement only applies to postpaid wireless services, where customers pay for the service at the end of the cycle — so it doesn't apply to other Verizon services like its prepaid plans.
How to file a claim as part of the Verizon settlement
If you qualify or already received the notice about the settlement, you can fill out the online form to file a claim. You’ll want to file the claim as soon as possible because the deadline to submit is 11:59:59 p.m. PT on April 15, 2024. It requires a Notice ID and Confirmation Code, along with your Verizon account number.
Alternatively, you can physically fill out the form and mail it out to the following address:
Verizon Administrative Charge Settlement
c/o Settlement Administrator
1650 Arch St., Suite 2210
Philadelphia, PA 19103
How much can you expect from the Verizon settlement?
At most, you can expect to get up to $100 as part of the settlement, but there are factors that can affect that amount. Specifically, how long you’ve been a Verizon Wireless customer and the amount of valid claims filed — so chances are it’ll be less than $100 if there are more files claimed. In its most recent fact sheet, Verizon reported having 93.9 million postpaid connections through December 31, 2023.
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