A customer filed a class-action lawsuit against MetroPCS, claiming that the flat-rate carrier used "bait and switch" and "deceptive trade practices," including in its advertising, to get subscribers to sign up for its $5 per month unlimited international calling feature. The company launched the plan in June.
In the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, lead plaintiff Eli Friedman claims that neither MetroPCS' ads nor the contract he signed said that the $5 international calling plan excluded certain foreign countries. The suit claims that when Friedman tried to call Israel and the United Kingdom, he was told that he needed to buy a MetroPCS calling card to place the calls.
The suit is asking the court to force MetroPCS to provide the international calls subscribers had to pay for, or, alternatively, that the class in the lawsuit be reimbursed. The suit also is seeking an injunction prohibiting the carrier from charging for international calls in the future.
The added feature was one of the many that MetroPCS announced amid fierce competition with other prepaid operators.
A MetroPCS spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For more:
- see this Consumer Affairs article
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