AT&T Settles with Florida Over Roadside Assistance Charges

AT&T Mobility customers who were charged for roadside assistance plans without their consent will get some of their money back, the attorney generals office announced Friday.

And from now on, AT&T Mobility will be required to use text messages to confirm when a service is added to the cell phone, with an option offered for the customer to easily cancel the service.

The settlement, which includes $550,000 in donations to the U.S. military, requires AT&T Mobility to refund the $2.99 a month fee that was added to service contracts without the customers approval.

All customers who paid for unwanted services deserve to be made whole, and we have guaranteed that AT&T Mobility will fully refund their money, Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in a release.

Additionally, AT&T Mobility must notify customers via text message of added charges and service cancellation procedures.

More than 600,000 cell-phone numbers in Florida received the charge starting in February 2004, the attorney generals office noted.

In addition to full refunds for Florida customers, AT&T Mobility will:

-- Provide prepaid telephone cards with a face value of $550,000 for donation to members of the United States military.

-- Donate $10,000 to the Florida Law Enforcement Officer of the Year program.

-- Pay $1.2 million to the attorney general's office for future enforcement and attorneys' fees and costs.