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If Comcast charged you for service calls you were led to believe would be covered by the company’s “Service Protection Plan,” the attorney general’s Bureau of Consumer Protection wants to hear from you.

The Office of Attorney General Kathleen Kane is reviewing a $100-million lawsuit filed last week by State of Washington, accusing the Philly-based cable behemoth of illegally deceiving subscribers in order to beef up its bottom line.

The suit, filed by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, accuses Comcast of hoodwinking about a half-million consumers into paying at least $73 million over the last five years for a “near worthless” protection plan that costs $4.99 monthly.

Washington investigators obtained customer service scripts that showed Comcast instructed representatives to tell customers the plan covers service calls “related to inside wiring” or “wiring inside your home,” even though wiring inside a wall — which constitutes the vast majority of wiring inside homes – was not covered by the plan.

The lawsuit also accuses Comcast of violating Washington’s Consumer Protection Act with its deceptive “Comcast Guarantee,” which promises, “We won’t charge you for a service visit that results from a Comcast equipment or network problem.”

Yet, Comcast charged thousands of Washington customers for service calls for problems caused by its equipment and network by creating a service code for technicians that triggered the bogus charges, the complaint says.

Comcast claims restrictions on the service plan are spelled out in its terms and conditions, but the company does not bother to tell customers these additional terms and conditions even exist, Ferguson said. Customers have to search Comcast’s website to find them.

Ferguson’s investigation also uncovered thousands of instances of improper credit screening by Comcast, having a negative impact on the credit reports of some 6,000 customers.

Comcast requires a deposit for equipment, but that deposit can be waived if a credit check reveals a high credit score. Ferguson’s suit says the company checked the credit reports of customers who had already paid the deposits.

The lawsuit asks for more than $73 million in restitution for Service Protection Plan subscribers, at least $1 million restitution for all service calls to which improper service coded were applied, removing improper inquiries from affected customers’ credit reports, penalties of up to $2,000 per violation of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act and requiring Comcast to improve its disclosures and correct its service codes and credit-check procedures.

“We would encourage any Pennsylvania consumer with a similar complaint to contact the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection,” said attorney general spokesman Jeffrey A. Johnson, who said the bureau can be reached at 800-441-2555. Online complaints may be filed at www.attorneygeneral.gov.

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