Retail Supplier Enters $50,000 Settlement With Attorney General Concerning "Do-Not-Call" Law

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced a $50,000 settlement with Sperian Energy Corp. to resolve allegations that Sperian violated Pennsylvania’s Do-Not-Call Law and called Pennsylvanians on the list who do not want to receive these kinds of calls.

Sperian will pay $50,000 to the Office of Attorney General as part of the settlement. 80 Pennsylvania consumers who filed complaints with the Bureau of Consumer Protection about the unsolicited phone calls will receive a total of $8,000 as part of the settlement, or $100 apiece. The remaining funds will go to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Treasury and the Office of Attorney General.

Sperian Energy provided the following statement to EnergyChoiceMatters.com: "Sperian Energy takes compliance with all federal and state laws very seriously. Sperian has not admitted to any wrongdoing in this matter, but is settling to avoid the uncertainty, distraction, and expense of protracted litigation. This settlement resolves all open issues with the Pennsylvania Attorney General and allows us to focus our efforts on providing the right product to Pennsylvania consumers."

The Office of Attorney General alleged that Sperian and its telemarketers called Pennsylvania residents whose telephone numbers were registered on the Pennsylvania "Do-Not-Call" List.

The Office of Attorney General alleged that prior to conducting its telemarketing campaigns, Sperian did not subscribe to the Pennsylvania "Do-Not-Call" List, as required by state law. In addition, the Office of Attorney General alleged that many consumers reported that calls from Sperian or its vendors appeared on their caller IDs as calls being made from inside Pennsylvania. However, the Office of Attorney General alleged those calls were made from call centers outside of Pennsylvania, which the Office of Attorney General called, "a misleading tactic."

As part of the terms of the settlement, Sperian and its telemarketing vendors will be required to comply with the Pennsylvania Telemarketer Registration Act, including not calling PA residents with phone numbers on the "Do-Not-Call" List.

"If a Pennsylvania resident registers their phone number on the Pennsylvania 'Do-Not-Call' List, it’s illegal to call them," Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. "These invasive telemarketing calls are a growing problem and we take enforcement of the Do-Not-Call Law seriously," Shapiro said in a news release

In 2017, 25 percent of all complaints to the Bureau of Consumer Protection are from consumers complaining they are on the Do-Not-Call List and still receive unwanted solicitation calls. "This is the number one issue that Pennsylvania consumers complain about to my office," Attorney General Shapiro said.