Oreck Halo Class Action May Be Possible for Vacuum

Consumers who purchased an Oreck Halo vacuum or ProShield Plus air cleaner may be able to participate in an Oreck halo class action lawsuit against the company for allegedly false and deceptive marketing and advertising. The $600 Oreck Halo vacuum was billed by the manufacturer as the “world’s only UV-C germ-killing vacuum" and that it "will eliminate all or virtually all germs, bacteria, dust mites, molds, viruses or allergens from a user's floor." In addition, the $400 Oreck ProShield Plus was marketed as a revolutionary filter that would "substantially reduce the risk of or prevent the flu" and that it would "eliminate all or virtually all airborne particles from a typical household room." All of these claims have since been deemed as false, misleading, or unsubstantiated, according to the FTC.

In addition to creating allegedly misleading advertising complaints, Oreck provided their distributors with the "means and instrumentalities" to further allegedly deceptive statements.

In April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released an Oreck settlement report stating that Oreck had agreed to pay $750,000 to the FTC after being found to have misled consumers on the capabilities of both the Oreck Halo vacuum and the Oreck ProShield Plus portable air cleaner. In addition to the settlement, Oreck has been ordered by the FTC to cease making false or unproven claims about the ability of the devices to instantly kill germs and prevent illness, the comparative superiority of the Halo vacuum, and the legitimacy of scientific testing. According to the FTC, in addition to creating allegedly misleading advertising complaints, Oreck provided their distributors with the "means and instrumentalities" to further allegedly deceptive statements.

Oreck infomercials claimed that "the Oreck Halo has killed up to 99.9 percent of bacteria exposed to its light in one second or less," and that the vacuum’s light chamber “has been tested and shown to kill up to 99.9 percent of certain common germs, plus dangerous pathogens like E. Coli and MRSA." Oreck asserted that these claims were substantiated by top independent scientists, saying that the vacuum "Reduced up to 99.9% of bacteria in laboratory testing," but the FTC contends that these claims were fallacious and misleading.

These allegedly unsubstantiated claims by Oreck were used to justify inflated prices for their "germ killing" products. Since these claims are allegedly false, consumers mya have paid high prices for vacuums that do not function as advertised. For this reason, any consumer who purchased an Oreck Halo vacuum or Oreck ProShield Plus may be able to enter an Oreck halo class action lawsuit. Experienced Oreck class action attorneys will pursue compensation for consumers for the false and deceptive advertising campaigns undertaken by Oreck.