Independence law firm sues Comcast alleging it sold deceptive service plans

A Missouri class-action lawsuit against Comcast Corp. says the cable company sold deceptive service plans that promised to cover repairs to interior wiring connected to internet or television equipment.

The Independence law firm Humphrey, Farrington & McClain says in a lawsuit against Comcast that $5 surcharges on monthly bills purported to pay costs associated with service calls to repair wiring issues, but covered next to nothing in practice.

“People purchased this thinking it would cover any of the wiring inside their house,” said Kevin Stanley, an attorney for for Humphrey, Farrington & McClain. “What they don’t know when they purchase it is it doesn’t cover wiring that is inside the house if it is inside of a wall.”

In other words, the $5 service charge would cover wiring from a cable box to a wall, for instance, which a customer might have an easier time fixing on his or her own. But the service plan would exclude repairs to wiring defects behind a wall, which would require more technical expertise and equipment to fix.

Comcast was not immediately available for comment. The company denied wrongdoing in a similar lawsuit filed Monday by the Washington attorney general.

In that case, Attorney General Bob Ferguson accused Comcast of violating consumer protection laws, in part by not covering wiring repairs inside a customer’s walls. That lawsuit seeks more than $100 million from Comcast.

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Independence law firm sues Comcast alleging it sold deceptive service plans."