Dish Network Telemarketing Calls Could Mean $1,200 Payout To Some
NEW YORK (CBSDFW.COM/CBSNEWS) - Thousands of people who received a telemarketing call for Dish Network in 2010 or 2011 may now be able to collect $1,200 per call. If you think that sounds too good to be true, you're not alone. Lawyers say they are having trouble convincing people to sign up to get the money they're owed from the $61 million class action lawsuit over sales pitches to people on the national Do Not Call Registry.
There's been a 120 percent increase in complaints about violations of the list since 2014. Nearly 230 million numbers are on the registry. It was supposed to stop unwanted telemarketing, but it hasn't. Thousands are now eligible for payback after a lawsuit against Dish Network.
"When someone is on the do not call list, it means do not call," Chicago resident Deborah Turner said.
But telemarketers did call Turner.
Salespeople for Dish Network allegedly dialed the Chicago banker 15 times in 2010 and 2011, asking her to sign up for their satellite TV service. So when she got another call recently from a man telling her she could receive up to $18,000 through a class-action lawsuit: "'Yeah, right' is my first thought. Right," Turner said with a laugh.
Attorney John W. Barrett is hearing that a lot as he tries to contact a group of people who may be eligible for thousands of dollars each.
