Other LanguagesSEATTLE – You may be owed money if you paid for a video subscription service from Movieland.com, bought Spyware Cleaner software or a Sony BMG music CD, or were billed for a shopping service or travel club you didn’t want. The Attorney General’s Office Consumer Protection Division says thousands of Washington consumers are potentially eligible for refunds for products and services as a result of government settlements. But with deadlines rapidly approaching, those consumers need to submit their claims soon in order to receive payment.
“The Attorney General’s Office has been very successful in fighting for the rights of Washington residents,” said Consumer Protection Division Chief Doug Walsh. “Thousands of dollars are available that we want to put in the hands of eligible consumers.”
The Attorney General’s Office has posted information about settlements and claims procedures on its Web site at /settlement-refunds. Here’s a look at who is eligible in our state:
- Consumers who downloaded a free three-day trial offer from movieland.com, moviepass.tv or popcorn.net, then purchased the program as a result of pop-up payment demands. The Attorney General’s Office has $50,000 to distribute as refunds to consumers who paid for the service but did not use it or made minimal use of the service. The deadline to submit claims is June 20, 2007.
- Anyone who experienced harm to their computers when they sought to remove the anti-copying software or Digital Rights Management (DRM) software contained on certain Sony BMG music CDs. Sony BMG agreed to provide repair refunds of up to $175 per individual consumer. The company is also offering software fixes for known security vulnerabilities, replacement CDs and free music downloads to consumers. Claims must be postmarked or submitted on Sony BMG’s site by June 30, 2007.
- An estimated 1,145 Washington residents who purchased Secure Computer's Spyware Cleaner software and, in some cases, Popup Padlock. Secure Computer is required to reimburse them from $75,000 restitution.
- Approximately 3,000 Washington consumers who were enrolled in one of Trilegiant’s many membership programs, including AutoVantage, Everyday Privileges Gold and Travelers Advantage Service. Many of these solicitations were checks for $2 to $10 that resembled a customer refund or rebate. Consumers who failed to cancel by a specific date were charged membership fees on their Chase credit or loan statements.
- Washington consumers who unknowingly paid for Email Discount Network’s services as a result of fees included on their monthly phone bills are eligible for refunds under a settlement reached by the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
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Media Contact: Kristin Alexander, Seattle Media Relations Manager, Attorney General’s Office, (206) 464-6432