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TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum announced today that his Economic Crimes Division has reached a settlement with a nationwide telephone directory company resolving allegations of deceptive business practices. US-Yellow: National Business Book agreed to modify its business practices so that its direct mail solicitations would no longer resemble local yellow pages telephone directory invoices and improve disclosures related to its automatic renewal provision. The company has already reimbursed customers over $85,000 either through restitution or cleared account balances.

US-Yellow, which is also known as Allied Telephone Directories, Global Directories, Inc., and Global Directories, LLC, was the subject of hundreds of consumer complaints filed with the Attorney General’s Office. Many consumers reported they mistook the company’s solicitation for a renewal notice from their local yellow pages directory and paid what they believed to be an invoice. An investigation also revealed that the company allegedly enrolled consumers in an automatic renewal plan for the directory without obtaining the consumer’s express, affirmative consent to the automatic renewal and billing provisions.

The company cooperated with the state’s investigation and, under the terms of the settlement, agreed to modify the format of its direct mail solicitations, make disclosures regarding the automatic renewal terms clear and conspicuous, and continue its present refund and cancellation policies. Additionally, US-Yellow will reimburse the state $90,000 for attorney’s fees and investigative costs.