Verizon Users Sue For Missing Bluetooth Profiles

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1751628,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1751628,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Verizon Wireless customers in California are suing the Bedminster, N.J.-based mobile phone operator for disabling some of the Bluetooth capabilities in a Motorola Inc. handset. According to the class action lawsuit, Verizon disabled some of the advertised Bluetooth features in Motorola's v710 phone. "Verizon Wireless has enjoyed enormous financial gains by marketing and selling the popular Bluetooth v710 phone then disabling almost all of its Bluetooth capabilities, resulting in a degraded phone, which requires the customer to use other Verizon 'paid' services in place of the Bluetooth capabilities that were supposed to be part of the phone's Bluetooth features," the lawsuit said."</i><br /><br />I'm not sure how successful they will be with this lawsuit. I guess it all depends on how the phone was marketed and sold. Hopefully the end result will be eye-opening for Verizon. :wink:

[Jerry Raia]

I'm not even sure it will make them care if they are making a bundle by crippling BT but it is good to see they are being called on it.

[PPCMD]

I had the V710, Verizon did not disclose the limitations of the BT features in the store, on the phone or on their website. It was not until much later when I called into CS to get the data team to assist in BT pairing my new hx4700 pda that I was told it is limited to headsets only. This was not good news to me and just added to my reasons to leave Verizon so I did. I would like to see class action status on this to include all users who purchased the V710.

[Jerry Raia]

:clap:

[Mike Temporale]

I had the V710, Verizon did not disclose the limitations of the BT features in the store, on the phone or on their website.

Ok, but did it say anywhere that the phone supported those profiles? If all they say is that the phone supports Bluetooth, then the fact that it doesn't support all the profiles doesn't really matter, because it does support Bluetooth. I agree that this is a slimy thing to do, but I don't think they did anything wrong.

[Kris Kumar]

I don't think it will affect VZ.

The law suit is weak. I don't think there is any false advertising. If they chose not to include a feature, that is their choice (stupid one, but they made it) and they are not claiming otherwise.

This is why the Cingular-AT&amp;T and Sprint-Nextel mergers are important.

[Jerry Raia]

I think more phones totally independent of the carrier, to the extent possible, will do away with a lot of these problems. Those of us who want all the bells and whistles pay for them. The carriers can keep their discounts and contracts. In the mean time maybe this suit will move things in that direction.