The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against a business alleging it impersonated an internet provider and resold services it purchased from telecommunications companies to rural York County residents.
Davis Communications Internet Inc., whose registered address is in Conewago Township, and its owner, David Davis, are named as defendants in a lawsuit seeking to bar them from selling Internet services in the state, a news release said. It is also seeking consumer damages, civil penalties and disgorgement of profits.
Attorney General Michelle Henry alleges the defendants subscribed to commercial internet plans and then resold those connections to consumers. It advertises services such as “LTE high-speed internet” and “truly unlimited service.”
The defendants targeted people living in rural areas of York County where internet options are limited, the news release said.
The lawsuit alleges that the business and its owners “misrepresented the reasons for outages and interruptions in Internet service and failed to provide refunds after consumers were automatically charged for these items.” “Instead, defendants allegedly ignored requests for refunds or baselessly accused consumers of engaging in ‘data abuse,’ a vague and confusing term.”
The lawsuit was filed in York County General Court.
Davis, whose last known address was in Cape Coral, Florida, could not be reached for comment, according to the lawsuit.
The defendants also said they were conducting business at addresses in Palmyra and Phoenixville, the lawsuit states.
The attorney general’s office said consumers can help protect themselves by checking companies on the Federal Communications Commission or Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission’s websites.
Consumers who believe they may have experienced unfair or deceptive practices can file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection online at attorneyneygeneral.gov by calling 1-800-441-2555 or emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov, the release said .