Caribou Coffee, Bebe and Sony Agree to Huge Class-Action Payouts
The leaves may be falling, but the chances of you making money from a class-action settlement are rising.
With the holidays right around the corner, who couldn’t use a few extra dollars by simply completing a quick and easy form?
The following seven class-action settlements include background checks, phone apps and credit checks that could translate to money in your pocket if you qualify. Just like the autumn leaves, these opportunities are worth a look.
1. Postmates Background Check
Were you denied employment at Postmates courier service due to a background check that was never shared with you? Postmates uses Sterling Infosystems Inc. to conduct background checks on applicants, and if the company decided not to employ you based on the results of the background check, you should have received a copy of the report. If you didn’t receive a copy, plaintiffs claim Postmates violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
If you signed up to work as a Postmates courier and were subject to a background check between July 31, 2013 and May 1, 2016, you may be eligible to claim settlement benefits.
This Class is divided into two subgroups, each of which qualifies for different benefits:
- Category 1681b(b)(3) covers all affected applicants who received negative background check results and were not granted access to the Postmates platform as a courier between July 31, 2013 and Sept. 24, 2015
- Category 1681b(b)(2) covers all other applicants who applied between July 31, 2013 and May 1, 2016, regardless of their acceptance into the Postmates platform
Those in Category 1681b(b)(2) must file claim forms no later than Oct. 17, 2017 to receive a payment ranging from $14 to $25. The settlement administrator does not require any other documentation other than what’s requested on the claim form.
Folks in Category 1681b(b)(3) will receive payment without submitting a claim form and will be paid between $42 and $75.
Of course, these payments are estimates and depend on the number of claims received.
2. Bebe Text Messages
Have you received text messages from Bebe clothing stores without your consent? If so, you could qualify to receive $20 by providing your contact information and the mobile phone number that received the unauthorized text message.
You’re eligible if you gave Bebe your cell phone number at the point of sale between Oct. 16, 2013 and Jan. 21, 2014. No other documentation is required beyond the information requested on the claim form. You must file a valid claim by Oct. 17, 2017.
3. Twitter, Yelp, Instagram App Privacy
If you downloaded certain versions of the iOS mobile app for Foodspotting, Foursquare, Gowalla, Instagram, Kik, Path, Twitter or Yelp from Apple’s app store prior to Feb. 23, 2012, you could be eligible for benefits from an app privacy class-action settlement.
Plaintiffs allege Apple and the app developers cooperated in a scheme to secretly upload and store their personal and private address books stored in the contacts app on iPhones, iPads and iPods.
The lawsuit alleges the apps sometimes disseminated the contact information, even though Apple told consumers their personal information was secure and could not be accessed without their consent.
The app developers deny the allegations, but agreed to settle the class-action lawsuit. A separate claim against Apple for misrepresentation is still pending.
The amount of the award will depend on how many people make claims and the number of affected apps they used. The defendants will pay $5.3 million to settle claims that used the Find Friends feature of the apps.
Payments will be received as an Amazon credit. The deadline to file a claim is Nov. 10, 2017. You must have a class member ID number and satisfy certain downloading requirements to qualify.
For the list of eligible apps, timeframes, and a claim form, click here
4. Caribou Coffee Unwanted Texts
Did you want some text messages with that coffee? If not, you could qualify to receive a portion of a Telephone Consumer Protection Act class-action settlement from Caribou Coffee.
Customers who received unwanted text messages between May 5, 2012 and July 28, 2017 without prior consent can benefit from this settlement. Affected customers must provide the cell phone number that received the messages and declare under the penalty of perjury they received at least one text message from Caribou during the allotted time. Caribou denies the allegations but agreed to settle the suit.
The award will be distributed on a pro rata basis to all affected customers who submit timely and valid claims. The final amount will depend on the number of claims filed by the Nov. 13, 2017 deadline.
5. TripleFlex, NatureMade Glucosamine Supplement
Watching UnderDog as a child, I wondered what it would be like to take UnderDog’s super-energy pill that turned him into a superhero. Of course, there is no such pill, and the claims were false. Luckily, it was just a cartoon.
Pharmavite LLC is not so lucky, as a class-action lawsuit alleging some of its supplements don’t work as advertised has resulted in a settlement.
If you bought certain TripleFlex, NatureMade or Berkley and Jensen (BJ’s) glucosamine products between May 1, 2007 and June 5, 2017, you could be eligible for a cash payment or free products through the glucosamine class-action settlement.
The lawsuit alleges the products were falsely advertised as benefiting joint health, but the claims were not backed up by scientific data.
Under terms of the proposed settlement, Pharmavite will pay $1 million in cash benefits and distribute $5.9 million in free products to eligible consumers.
You could be eligible for up to $100 in cash or up to $150 in free products.
If you do not have a proof of purchase, you may claim $12.50 per product for up to four products — a maximum of $50 per household.
If you do have a proof of purchase, you may submit a claim for $25 per covered product for up to four products.
The deadline to file a claim is Nov. 13, 2017.
For a complete list of eligible products and to file a claim, click here
6. Bank of America FCRA Violations
You could be eligible for a portion of a Bank of America settlement regarding allegations of Fair Credit Reporting Act violations if you are a former Bank of America customer.
Bank of America allegedly pulled credit reports on some former customers who had debts with the bank discharged in a bankruptcy. Because the debtors were no longer Bank of America customers, the class-action lawsuit claims the requests for credit reports were not made by any “permissible purposes” listed in the FCRA.
The settlement fund is worth $1.645 million and will be distributed on a pro rata basis among qualifying consumers who submit valid and timely claims.
If Bank of America or FIA Card Services obtained your credit report between Aug. 21, 2010 and July 7, 2017 for an account review and your relationship with the bank ended because the debt on the account had been discharged via bankruptcy, the account closed with a zero balance, or the account was sold or transferred to a third party, you are eligible to claim benefits.
Claimants who did not receive a postcard notifying them they are class members must submit either their Bank of America account number, the date the account was closed with a zero balance, the date the account was sold or transferred to a third party, or the date the debt on the account was discharged in bankruptcy.
The deadline to file a claim is Nov. 14, 2017.
7. Sony Xperia Waterproof Devices
Did your Sony Xperia mobile device take a dive after it was exposed to wet conditions? If so, you could be eligible for a portion of an Xperia class-action settlement that alleges the devices are not waterproof as advertised. Even though advertisements show the phones being used underwater, plaintiffs say screens die, phones lock, audio functions don’t work and phones fail altogether.
Sony denies the phones are defective, but has settled the class-action lawsuit and agreed to provide a warranty extension, packaging and marketing changes, and potential compensation for water-related warranty claim rejections.
Class members include anyone who owned an Xperia device prior to Aug. 3, 2017. Potential benefits include a check for 50% of the device’s manufacturer’s suggested retail price if a water-related claim was denied. Sony will add another 12 months of limited warranty coverage for water damage on devices that had a warranty effective as of Aug 3, 2017 or an additional six months for those that were out-of-warranty on that date.
The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 30, 2018.
