OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a $100 million lawsuit against Comcast, saying the cable and internet giant deceived customers into paying tens of millions of dollars in fees for a “near-worthless” service protection plan. Ferguson, who filed the lawsuit in King County Superior Court, told a news conference that in addition to its misleading service protection plan, Philadelphia-based Comcast committed more than 1.8 million violations of the state’s Consumer Protection Act by charging improper service call fees and using improper credit screening practices. According to the lawsuit, Comcast misled 500,000 customers in Washington state by having them pay a $4.99 monthly fee to avoid being charged if a technician visited their home to fix an issue covered by the plan. But Ferguson said the company didn’t reveal that the plan didn’t cover repairs to wiring inside a wall. Comcast said in a statement that it was “surprised and disappointed” about the lawsuit and said “we stand behind our products and services and will vigorously defend ourselves.”
