Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Pennsylvania

I signed a contract with sprint for two years when i was 17. Now i dont have money to pay them but they are still charging me. Am I legally responsible for that contract if i was underage when i signed it?


Asked on 8/11/10, 2:39 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

It depends. Contracts like this are voidable, which means you can accept or reject them. How old are you now? How many years has it been since you turned 18? Or were you emanicipated when you got the contract? For you to be able to disavow the contract, you have to do so reasonably promptly upon gaining your adulthood. If you accepted the benefits of the contract and you are now over 22, I think you will have a difficult time disavowing the contract now. You may have to pay for any services that you received prior to disavowing the contract. In addition, did Sprint know that you were only 17 when you entered into the contract? I have not had to research this issue lately and I do not know exactly how the courts would determine the issue. If you want me to research the issue for a reasonable fee. I don't know how much the bill is and whether it would be cost-effective.

You might want to have a talk with Sprint. If you only took out the contract 2 or less years ago, they might be willing to waive the termination fees if you paid just for the services that you received. It does not hurt to ask!

Note of caution - Sprint has been notoriously difficult to deal with in the past, especially in their non-existent customer service department. Sprint was even firing its customers who called to complain. My advice would be to send a letter and make the offer there. You can get the name of a contact person and/or the address from the Better Business Bureau or Sprint's own website. The new CEO, Dan Hesse, claims what a great company they are and talks about how they have turned the corner. Write a letter and see. Again, I would have to chargee you a reasonable fee and I do not know if its cost effective here.

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Answered on 8/16/10, 8:30 pm


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