You know those annoying robocalls offering you a free cruise? If you got any on your cell or landline you could get $500 per call.
It’s all part of a class action lawsuit. But time is running out to file a claim.
The Cruise Call Class Action Lawsuit is forcing Caribbean Cruise Line and two co-defendants to pay up to $76 million to people who got the calls.
Janice Kopek, the Do Not Call Program Coordinator with the Federal Trade Commission explains why.
“If you’re getting a robocall where somebody is sending you a pre-recorded message and is trying to sell you something, that call is illegal unless you gave that person or company specific prior written consent to make that call.”
In fact the FTC says most of the robocalls you get are against the law with a few exceptions like political, emergency, school and charity calls.
As for the Cruise Call Settlement, your take depends on how many calls you got. Each one is another $500 in your pocket.
FreeCruiseCallClassAction.net allows you to check your number against a database, but don’t stop there.
“We have tried to provide people notice, but we don’t have a complete list of everyone, so it’s important that people submit documents if they believe that they got these calls,” said class action attorney Chris Dore.
If the thought of $500 a call inspires you to check your records (beyond just the Attorney list), you’ll want to look for in-bound calls between August 2011 and August 2012.
And you don’t have to go it alone. You can contact your cell provider directly or call 866-286-6755 for help. But you must do this all before the deadline February 1st.
This class action suit also speaks to the importance of reporting any illegal robocalls to the government. You can file a complaint here or by calling: 1-888-382-1222.
