Tuesday, February 14, 2006

 

Verizon sues Spanish-message telemarketer

Verizon Wireless Continues Campaign To Defend Customers' Privacy With Legal Action Against Two Telemarketers

First Lawsuit to Allege Telemarketing Firm Spammed Verizon Wireless Customers with Spanish-language Calls

BEDMINSTER, N.J., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, once again is standing up for the privacy rights of its customers with two new lawsuits that charge telemarketing companies with illegal solicitation of wireless phone customers. Both lawsuits were filed today in state Superior Court in Somerville, N.J. and claim the companies' actions violate the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act as well as state fraud and privacy laws.

In the first lawsuit, believed to be the first of its kind involving Spanish-language messages, Verizon Wireless is seeking an injunction against All Star Vacations and Marketing Group, Inc. of Miami, Fla. and Travel and Tours Marketing, Inc. of Orlando, Fla. During November and December 2005 alone, more than 500,000 calls apparently using auto-dialers and pre-recorded messages in Spanish were made to Verizon Wireless customers on behalf of these companies. The pre-recorded messages in Spanish indicated the customer had won a trip to one of several resort locations and directed the customer to call a toll-free number to claim their prize.

In the second lawsuit, Verizon Wireless is seeking an injunction against Cambridge Marketing and Financial Services, Inc. of Deland, Fla., which apparently made thousands of calls to cell phone customers using auto-dialers and pre-recorded messages. Unsuspecting customers and employees received multiple calls on their wireless phones in which a pre-recorded voice left a message that indicated the customer had won a Ford Explorer and directed them to call a toll-free number to claim their prize.
Steven Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel of Verizon Wireless, said, "These unlawful telemarketing calls invade the privacy of Verizon Wireless' customers, and whether in English or Spanish, we will not tolerate actions from any company that put our customers' privacy in jeopardy."
In addition to seeking injunctions against All Star Vacations, Travel and Tours Marketing, and Cambridge Marketing and Financial Services to prohibit the continued use of the illegal telemarketing practices, Verizon Wireless is also asking the court to award monetary damages.

The company's record of protecting customer privacy puts Verizon Wireless at the forefront of the U.S. wireless industry. Over the past several months, Verizon Wireless has won permanent injunctions against other companies that have engaged in illegal telemarketing to Verizon Wireless customers, spammed Verizon Wireless customers with unsolicited text messages and that have attempted to obtain information about Verizon Wireless customers to sell to third parties.

Comments:
Verizon Wireless Continues Action to Protect Customer Privacy; Reaches Settlement With Telemarketer Using Spanish-Language Messages

Thursday July 20, 9:00 am ET

Company Will Donate $5,000 From Legal Action to Domestic Violence Prevention Agency


BASKING RIDGE, N.J., July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, has won a permanent injunction to stop All Star Vacations and Marketing Group, Inc. of Miami, Fla. from making telemarketing calls to Verizon Wireless customers. This victory in protecting customer privacy will also benefit Casa de Esperanza, an organization that works to mobilize Latina and Latino communities to end domestic violence.


Verizon Wireless initially filed a lawsuit in February 2006 charging All Star, as well as another Florida travel company, with illegal solicitation of wireless phone customers, after more than 500,000 calls in Spanish were placed to Verizon Wireless customers on behalf of these companies indicating that the customer had won a trip to one of several resort locations and that directed the customer to call a toll-free number to claim their prize.

Verizon Wireless recently amended the lawsuit to include Southeastern Bell Corporation ("Southeastern") and its principals Orlando Guitan and Juan Serrano. The amended complaint alleges that All Star Vacations engaged Southeastern to make the unlawful telemarketing calls on its behalf. The suit asks for a permanent injunction and damages against Southeastern and its officers.

"Our commitment to protecting our customers against invasions of their privacy has not wavered," said Steven Zipperstein, general counsel and vice president of legal and external affairs at Verizon Wireless. "This settlement is another victory for our customers and we will continue to take all necessary steps to vigorously defend our customers' privacy and protect them from these unwanted calls."

This lawsuit was believed to be the first of its kind involving Spanish- language messages. Under the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, All Star Vacations and Marketing Group, Inc. is barred from contacting any Verizon Wireless customer using "auto-dialing" equipment, which sends large bursts of phone messages to sequential phone numbers within very short periods of time, or using an artificial or prerecorded voice.

The injunction was entered as the result of a settlement between Verizon Wireless and All Star Vacations and Marketing Group, Inc. An agreement was reached between Verizon Wireless and All Star Vacations on May 24th and the injunction was entered in New Jersey Superior Court by Judge Robert Reed.

As part of the settlement, All Star Vacations paid Verizon Wireless $5,000 in damages, which Verizon Wireless will donate to Casa de Esperanza on behalf of its HopeLine® program. Casa de Esperanza, based in St. Paul, Minn., provides training throughout the U.S. for organizations serving battered Latinas and working with Latino communities. Verizon Wireless, a recognized corporate leader in the effort to stop domestic violence, works to prevent domestic violence and raise awareness of the issue nationwide through the company's HopeLine phone recycling program.
 
Say bye-bye to privacy. The FCC is now going to allow telemarketers to call cell phones! I guess someone got a kickback. Whoever signed off on that should get a _new_ version of Lasik: An advertising logo burned in his retina so he never escapes the ad!
 
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