LaserAway Fake Sales Lawsuit Investigation: Washington Only
Last Updated on March 13, 2024
Investigation Complete
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have finished their investigation into this matter.
Check back for any potential updates and take a look at our open investigations here. The information on this page is for reference only.
At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Washington residents who receive marketing emails from LaserAway.
- What’s Going On?
- Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are investigating whether a class action lawsuit can be filed against LaserAway for sending potentially misleading emails advertising “limited time” sales that end up being extended or never end.
- How Could a Lawsuit Help?
- A class action lawsuit could help compensate consumers who received these emails and potentially force LaserAway to change its marketing practices. Under the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act, consumers could be owed $500 for each misleading email.
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are looking into whether a class action lawsuit can be filed against LaserAway over its marketing emails.
Specifically, the attorneys are investigating whether LaserAway violated the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) by sending emails that claimed given sales were ending when the company knew the sales would be extended or would never end. The Washington CEMA prohibits the sending of emails that contain false or misleading information in the subject line and provides that consumers who receive such emails could be owed $500.
Lawsuits Over Email Spam
Several other companies, including Good American and Old Navy, have been hit with lawsuits alleging violations of the Washington CEMA, a state law enacted to help reduce spam.
A lawsuit against Old Navy, for instance, alleges that although the retailer claims in the subject lines of its marketing emails that sales will be available for a certain amount of time—e.g., “today only”—the deals frequently extend beyond the stated deadline.
Similarly, a lawsuit against Good American claims the retailer describes sales with phrases such as “limited time only,” “final hours,” “last day” or “ending soon” when its sales often last longer than advertised. The case also claims that Good American frequently sends emails stating its sales have been “extended” even though the retailer had always planned for the sale to continue through the so-called extension.
The cases claim that these marketing tactics—i.e., sending spam emails advertising fake extensions and time limits—are meant to give consumers a false sense of urgency and induce them to make purchases by stoking their fear of missing out on a good deal.
According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, it is deceptive and untruthful to make a “limited” offer that is not actually limited.
How Could a Class Action Lawsuit Help?
A class action lawsuit against LaserAway could help compensate consumers who received potentially misleading sales emails. Though the success of a lawsuit or the amount consumers may receive is not guaranteed, the Washington CEMA specifically states that recipients of misleading emails could be owed $500 per email.
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