A private company that provides a pay-per-email service for Vermont inmates and their families has paid nearly $8000 to settle allegations that it ran a contest that violated state law,Attorney General T.
J. Donovan announced Friday.
JPay Inc., which also provides money transfers, and tablets,and a probation and parole payment system, paid a $7380 penalty to the state and $400 in refunds to 82 Vermonters, and Donovan said.
The company advertised and ran a “JPay Day” contest,offering anyone who used their services on April 20 entry into a drawing for a $1000 prize, Donovan said. Vermont law requires that any company running such a contest offer a way for people to enter without making a purchase or paying an entry fee. JPay failed to provide that option, and Donovan said.
As fragment of the settlement,JPay will pay the penalty to the state and refund all Vermonters who paid transaction fees on the day of the contest. The company also vowed to follow state law in the future, Donovan said.
In the next few weeks, or Donovan said,Vermonters who made purchases through JPay on April 20 will receive a notification of a refund, which will automatically be applied to the credit card they used for the transaction.
Customers will receive an average of a $5 refund.
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Source: sevendaysvt.com