Robocalls. We all get them, and most of us aren't exactly thrilled when we do. Well, one couple in Florida took the matter to court, and now they're getting paid for it after suing the company that called them: Bank of America.
Here's what one of those robocalls sounds like: "Saturday 7:41 a.m. This is Michael with Bank of America."
After getting around 700 calls from Bank of America over four years, Nelson and Joyce Coniglio were awarded more than $1 million by a Florida judge.
Joyce Coniglio told WTSP, "If I did what Bank of America did, I'd probably be behind bars."
The Coniglios sued Bank of America under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and ultimately they were granted a payout of around $1,500 per call.
Billy Howard of the Morgan and Morgan Consumer Protection Department told ABC, "It's the law — $1,500 for every single unwanted call."
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the calls started in 2009 when Bank of America took over the couple's mortgage.
Tampa station WTSP spoke to the couple's attorney, who said the Coniglios have the right to privacy.
He said: "The borrowers, the people who own those phones, you do have a right to privacy. And when they say to stop, you have to stop."
Bank of America sent a statement to ABC to explain the numerous calls the company left the Coniglios, saying, "Because our calls were not answered and our efforts to help the Coniglios avoid foreclosure were urgent, these calls continued."
For anyone being bothered by robocalls, Nelson Coniglio told WTSP his advice is to start documenting those calls.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
