A West Virginia federal court has ordered Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH) to pay $22,500 to a Charleston man who accused the satellite operator of calling him 31 times to collect a debt for services he never had.
In fact, according to the West Virginia Record, the subscriber Dish was targeting was the individual who previously had Chester Moore's mobile phone number assigned to him.
Serving a cautionary tale to pay-TV collection departments across the U.S., Judge Gina Groh of North District Court of West Virginia Martinsburg ruled that Dish committed numerous violations of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act in 2012. The law prohibits companies from making automated calls to mobile numbers, unless the customer has given prior consent.
The court awarded Moore $500 for each call he received before notifying the pay-TV operator that he wasn't their guy; he received $1,500 for the seven phone calls that came after this notification.
Dish has yet to respond to FierceCable's inquiry for comment.
For more:
- read this West Virginia Record story
Related links:
Comcast apologizes for latest customer service travesty, but denies getting ex-PwC accountant fired
Comcast taps product exec Herrin to fill new customer service SVP role
The Verge of obsession? Tech pub ramps up series on Comcast customer service
Fast Wi-Fi, nifty interfaces are nice, Comcast, but customers clearly want better manners
Comcast rep won't let Engadget founder cancel service