Class Action Claims Comcast Breached ‘Lifetime’ Contracts by Raising Rates

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A proposed class action lawsuit filed against Comcast Corporation alleges the cable and internet provider has breached its contracts with consumers by raising prices on monthly plans that were signed with the guarantee of “lifetime” rates.

In 2016, the lawsuit explains, Google began aggressively marketing its new high-speed fiber-optic data service. In response, Comcast sent sales representatives door to door in locations identified as “Google Fiber cities,” such as Salt Lake City, to sign up or retain customers, the suit says. In order to compete with Google, the case says, the defendant began offering some customers “lifetime” contracts for which monthly rates were supposedly locked in for the duration of the agreement.

The lead plaintiff, for instance, claims he received an offer for Comcast’s Xfinity Extreme Triple Play for a “lifetime” $120 per month plus applicable fees. The door-to-door Comcast salesperson with whom the plaintiff dealt allegedly gave the man a written notice stating that the offer was “not a promotional—this is a lifetime price… no yearly increases.” The case says the plaintiff signed up for the Xfinity Extreme Triple Play, as it was reportedly an improvement on his current service, only to have his “lifetime” monthly rate increased by $10 in June 2019.

According to the case, many customers throughout Utah have been subject to Comcast’s alleged reneging on its “lifetime” rate promise, with the company claiming no such pricing tier has ever been offered.

“Many customers, upon seeing the substantial increase in monthly billing, contacted Comcast and were told by Comcast employees or representatives that Comcast’s ‘lifetime’ plan does not exist in spite of the previous representations by its sales staff and in spite of the numerous written contracts with the ‘lifetime’ language’ prominently displayed,” the lawsuit reads.

The case looks to represent a class of consumers who entered into “lifetime” contracts with Comcast and on which Comcast supposedly reneged.

The lawsuit, originally filed in Salt Lake County Court, has been removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.