As part of a $100 million settlement, Verizon has started sending money back to customers who paid high “admin fees.”. The company agreed to pay people up to $100 each after being accused of not explaining these extra fees properly.
Even though Verizon is paying people back and settled the lawsuit, it says it will still charge everyone a “mystery fee” of $3.30 each month. The phone company calls it an “Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge”. Verizon also warned that this fee could rise in the future too.
It’s not clear when the fee might go up or how much higher it could be in the future. Verizon denies doing anything wrong in the lawsuit but says it has a right to keep charging this fee and increase it whenever it wants.
The company claims the fee helps cover costs like 911 service, number switching between carriers, network gear, property taxes, and payments to other companies. Before 2022, Verizon charged $1.95 per month for the fee but raised it to $3.30 this year.
If you paid Verizon for your cell phone plan between January 2016 and November 2023, you can get money back from the settlement by April 15, 2024. Just fill out a claim form to receive your payout of up to $100.
Even though Verizon is repaying customers, don’t expect the company to explain future “mystery fees” any clearer or stop charging them without warning. Customers remain in the dark about these extra charges.
