Verizon, Sprint to pay $158M over "cramming" cases

[gratuitous]

6. That's nice, but . . .

Individual consumers will probably see less than $10 each. Our outmoded system of assessing damages on companies that have millions of monthly customers has to be updated. At this time, we have only the class action available. When a company rips off its customers for a buck or two every month, it can realize ill-gotten profits in the millions every month. But each customer loses just a couple of bucks, which isn't worth pursuing.

Perhaps we need to update our laws to include a provision for damages in excess of what the companies are stealing? Make it so unprofitable that companies have to be good corporate citizens? Say an additional $100 paid to each customer for each month Verizon or Sprint jacked their monthly bill from $125 to $127? Would that put a stop to it?