{"id":6123,"date":"2023-10-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/?p=6123"},"modified":"2023-12-01T13:57:30","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T18:57:30","slug":"ftc-sends-nearly-100-million-in-refunds-to-vonage-consumers-who-were-trapped-in-subscriptions-by-dark-patterns-and-junk-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ftc-sends-nearly-100-million-in-refunds-to-vonage-consumers-who-were-trapped-in-subscriptions-by-dark-patterns-and-junk-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"FTC Sends Nearly $100 Million in Refunds to Vonage Consumers Who Were Trapped in Subscriptions By Dark Patterns and Junk Fees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"default\">The Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $100 million in refunds to consumers who lost money as a result of internet phone service provider Vonage imposing junk fees and creating obstacles to those who try to cancel their service.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/profile\/federal.trade.commission#!\/vizhome\/Refunds_15797958402020\/RefundsbyCase\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Explore Data with the FTC: Refunds\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/badge-explore-data-ftc-refunds-resized.jpg?ssl=1\" style=\"float:right;height:175px;margin:10px;width:256px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"default\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2022\/11\/ftc-action-against-vonage-results-100-million-customers-trapped-illegal-dark-patterns-junk-fees-when-trying-cancel-service\">FTC\u2019s November 2022 complaint<\/a><span class=\"MsoHyperlink\">, Vonage used dark patterns to make it difficult for consumers to cancel their service and often continued to illegally charge them even after they spoke to an agent directly and requested cancellation. The company agreed to a settlement with the FTC that required it to pay refunds to consumers harmed by the company\u2019s actions, make its cancellation process simple and transparent, and stop charging consumers without their consent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"default\">The FTC is sending payments to 389,106 consumers. Most consumers will get a check in the mail. Recipients should cash their checks within 90 days, as indicated on the check. Eligible consumers who did not have an address on file will receive a PayPal payment, which should be redeemed within 30 days. Consumers who have questions about their payment should contact the refund administrator, Epiq, at 1-877-525-4728 or visit the FTC website to view <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/enforcement\/recent-ftc-cases-resulting-refunds\/refund-programs-frequently-asked-questions\">frequently asked questions about the refund process.<\/a> The Commission never requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund.<\/p>\n<p>The Commission\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/federal.trade.commission\/viz\/Refunds_15797958402020\/RefundsbyCase\">interactive dashboards for refund data<\/a> provide a state-by-state breakdown of refunds in FTC cases. In 2022, Commission actions led to more than $392 million in refunds to consumers across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $100 million in refunds to consumers who lost money as a result of internet phone service provider Vonage imposing junk fees and creating obstacles to those who try to cancel their service.\u00a0 According to the FTC\u2019s November 2022 complaint, Vonage used dark patterns to make it difficult for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":6063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/badge-explore-data-ftc-refunds-resized.jpg?fit=390%2C244&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-1AL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9037,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ftc-issues-annual-report-on-refunds-to-consumers-agency-returned-324m-in-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":6123,"position":0},"title":"FTC Issues Annual Report on Refunds to Consumers; Agency Returned $324M in 2023","author":"jmayfield","date":"June 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Federal Trade Commission law enforcement actions resulted in more than $324 million in refunds to consumers in 2023, the agency said in its annual report on refunds. Image The FTC Annual Report on Refunds to Consumers provides a breakdown of the total amount refunded by the FTC nationally, as well\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/badge-explore-data-ftc-refunds-resized.jpg?fit=390%2C244&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10932,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ftc-sends-more-than-17-million-to-consumers-harmed-by-brigits-deceptive-claims-junk-fees-and-confusing-cancellation-process\/","url_meta":{"origin":6123,"position":1},"title":"FTC Sends More Than $17 Million to Consumers Harmed by Brigit\u2019s Deceptive Claims, Junk Fees, and Confusing Cancellation Process","author":"jmayfield","date":"November 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Image The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $17 million in refunds to consumers harmed by online cash advance provider Brigit, which the agency says deceived consumers with false promises of \u201cinstant\u201d cash advances and locked consumers into a monthly membership they couldn\u2019t cancel.The FTC first took action against\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6115,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ftc-action-leads-to-18-million-in-refunds-for-brigit-consumers-harmed-by-deceptive-promises-about-cash-advances-hidden-fees-and-blocked-cancellation\/","url_meta":{"origin":6123,"position":2},"title":"FTC Action Leads to $18 Million in Refunds for Brigit Consumers Harmed by Deceptive Promises About Cash Advances, Hidden Fees, and Blocked Cancellation","author":"jmayfield","date":"November 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against personal finance app provider Brigit, alleging that its promises of \u201cinstant\u201d cash advances of up to $250 for people living paycheck-to-paycheck were deceptive and that the company locked consumers into a $9.99 monthly membership they couldn\u2019t cancel. Brigit, also known as Bridge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/brigit_1.jpg?fit=486%2C867&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11935,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ftc-releases-summary-of-key-accomplishments\/","url_meta":{"origin":6123,"position":3},"title":"FTC Releases Summary of Key Accomplishments","author":"jhenderson2","date":"January 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan released a summary of the agency\u2019s key accomplishments over the last four years that have improved Americans\u2019 everyday lives and stopped illegal consolidation that raises prices and hampers innovation.These actions include:Putting Money Back in Americans\u2019 Pocketbooks:\u00a0The Commission has helped put more money back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10829,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ftc-sends-more-than-1-million-to-consumers-harmed-by-rhinelander-autos-unlawful-junk-fees-and-discriminatory-financing\/","url_meta":{"origin":6123,"position":4},"title":"FTC Sends More Than $1 Million to Consumers Harmed by Rhinelander Auto\u2019s Unlawful Junk Fees and Discriminatory Financing","author":"jmayfield","date":"October 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $1 million in refunds to consumers who were allegedly harmed by Rhinelander Auto Center\u2019s junk fees and discriminatory practices.The FTC and State of Wisconsin\u00a0took action against Rhinelander Auto and its general manager in 2023,\u00a0alleging that they regularly charged many customers junk fees\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Seal_of_the_United_States_Federal_Trade_Commission.svg_.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7587,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ftc-sends-nearly-100-million-in-refunds-to-consumers-harmed-by-benefytt-technologies-sham-health-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":6123,"position":5},"title":"FTC Sends Nearly $100 Million in Refunds to Consumers Harmed by Benefytt Technologies\u2019 Sham Health Plans","author":"jmayfield","date":"March 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $100 million in refunds to consumers who were charged for sham health plans marketed by Benefytt Technologies.According to the\u00a0FTC\u2019s August 2022 complaint, Benefytt and its third-party partners operated a series of deceptive websites that targeted consumers who were searching for comprehensive health insurance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6123"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6125,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123\/revisions\/6125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}