Dun & Bradstreet, a business services company based in Jacksonville, will pay a $2.06 million fine for what the government called “unfair or deceptive business practices,” the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Dun & Bradstreet also will pay $2.79 million in refunds to customers, in addition to $924,590 of refunds it already issued.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Dun & Bradstreet violated an administrative order issued in 2022 after allegations of unfair or deceptive practices.
The FTC said its order required Dun & Bradstreet to accurately notify customers of the automatic renewal prices of its products, to not misrepresent its products, and to create and maintain records of its compliance with the order.
The FTC’s complaint alleged that Dun & Bradstreet sent many of its customers inaccurate price notices regarding credit-related services, omitted or misrepresented certain facts about its products during sales calls, and failed to retain all of the call recordings required by the administrative order.
“Our signed orders are not suggestions,” Director Christopher Mufarrige of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection said in a news release. “This settlement is another example of the bureau’s effort to reinvigorate its fraud program and protect small businesses from deceptive and unlawful conduct.”






