Tag Archives: consumer rights

Whopping New Claim

Commercials, billboards, and flyers serve as some of the means for fast food marketers to reach their target audience of consumers that are on the go, in a rush, or are looking for easy meal alternatives. The trick to grabbing their attention is just that: to trick. While soda products appear crisp and fizzy with the help of antacids, the buoyancy of breakfast cereal in a bowl would lose its visual luster without the aid of glue. It goes without saying that consumers may enjoy these products without antacids or glue, however, a new lawsuit may counter that argument.

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Blanketed Disputes

A consumer that filed a class action lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings earlier this year is now turning his compensation efforts toward a home goods company. In the restaurant lawsuit filed in March, the plaintiff, Aimen Halim, claimed that Buffalo Wild Wings falsely advertises its boneless buffalo wings as “wings,” when the meat is actually the white meat of a chicken. In this lawsuit, Halim claimed that had he known that the boneless wings were not deboned wing meat and more resembled chicken nuggets, he might not have ordered that particular item, or he would have paid less.

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Dark Patterned Future

Due to the implementation of questionable business practices, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken legal action against Amazon. Allegedly, to convince customers to enroll in Prime subscriptions, the company has engaged in trickery. The effort has apparently been ongoing for years and has led to the positive outcome of increased sales for the company. In the lawsuit filed by the FTC, the agency claims that Amazon not only uses deceptive techniques for attracting customers to the Prime subscription, but also makes it difficult for existing customers to cancel their subscriptions. Some are not even aware that the subscriptions are recurring and are renewed without their consent.

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Settlement is a Juul

E-cigarette marketing mishap

Initially filed in 2019, King County, WA targeted the company that produces and markets Juul e-cigarette products, Juul Labs Inc. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff claimed that Juul purposefully advertised its flavored vapor devices to teenagers and a younger generation. Although the e-cigarette company challenged the claims brought against the company, the parties involved have agreed to settle the Washington state lawsuit for $23 million. While based on the settlement agreement, King County may accumulate an additional $1.8 million, the compensation awarded in the lawsuit will aid in the funding of local tobacco-use prevention programs. Continue reading →

That’s the Ticket

Is it worth the price?

Following a Taylor Swift ticket sale meltdown in November, certain legislators are turning their focus to concert ticket competition. Specifically, they are considering the statistic that 70% of tickets sold for concert venues in the United States are distributed through Ticketmaster, an exclusively online company that merged with the comparable service Live Nation in 2010. Legislators argue that the company maintains a strong monopoly of the ticket sale market, making it difficult for consumers to evaluate additional competitive offers or options. As a business that reaches at least 30 countries, Ticketmaster processes 500 million ticket sale transactions each year. Continue reading →