While I personally have not seen any of indication of this from Cingular, I am not at all surprised to see this from Sprint. Apparently they have not changed their ways much since my last encounter with them (Sprint).

A California consumer advocacy group said in complaints filed yesterday that Sprint and Cingular Wireless had duped cellphone customers into overpaying for some services.

The group, the Utility Consumers’ Action Network, said the complaints were part of an pattern by mobile phone companies to use confusing billing practices as they offer more data and entertainment features.

“Customers are inadvertently or surreptitiously being charged for services they don’t understand or haven’t received,” said Michael Shames, executive director of the group, which is based in San Diego.

Sprint and Cingular said they had not seen the complaints, which were filed with state regulators. But they disputed the accusations, saying their practices were clear and fair. [Read the rest]