Rugs.com Lawsuit Investigation: Were You Sent Misleading Sales Emails?
Last Updated on September 10, 2024
Investigation Complete
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have finished their investigation into this matter. Check back for any potential updates. You can also sign up for our free newsletter for the latest in class action news and settlements.
If you still have questions about your rights, contact an attorney in your area as there is a time limit for filing all lawsuits. The information on this page was posted when the investigation began and is now for reference only.
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At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Washington residents who receive marketing emails from Rugs.com.
- What’s Going On?
- Attorneys are investigating whether a class action lawsuit can be filed against Rugs.com for sending potentially false and misleading marketing emails. They suspect the company may be advertising “limited-time” sales that are regularly extended or never actually end, creating a false sense of urgency among customers.
- How Could a Lawsuit Help?
- A class action lawsuit could help compensate consumers who received these emails and potentially force Rugs.com to change its marketing practices. Under the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act, residents could be entitled to $500 for each email found to be in violation of the law.
Attorneys are looking into whether a class action lawsuit can be filed on behalf of Washington residents who have received marketing emails from Rugs.com about “limited-time” sales that never seem to end or always get extended.
They suspect Rugs.com may illegally advertise in email subject lines that its deals will be available for a certain amount of time—e.g., “today only” or “only 1 day left”—only to repeatedly extend the expiration dates of those sales. In fact, the attorneys believe Rugs.com may perpetually offer its products at steep discounts, typically up to 80 percent off, and rarely, if ever, sell products at their supposedly “original” price.
The attorneys are now investigating whether the company’s sales emails violate a Washington-specific law that says consumers could be owed $500 for any misleading messages.
How Could a Sales Email Potentially Break the Law?
The Commercial Electronic Mail Act, also known as Washington’s anti-spam law, explicitly prohibits commercial entities from emailing residents with “false or misleading information” in the subject line.
Passed in 1998, the law was designed to protect consumers from deceptive marketing practices, including those that may manipulate shoppers into making purchases by giving them the illusion of a good deal or a false sense of urgency.
Attorneys are now investigating whether Rugs.com’s email subject lines, which routinely urge customers to “hurry” and “act now” to take advantage of sales they believe last longer than advertised, may constitute violations of the CEMA. Several other companies, including Old Navy, LaserAway and Good American, have already faced lawsuits in Washington over their alleged illegal use of fake time limits and extensions in their marketing email subject lines.
How Could a Lawsuit Help?
If filed and successful, a class action lawsuit brought under the CEMA could provide consumers with compensation for any misleading emails they received from Rugs.com. It could also force the company to ensure its marketing emails comply with state law. 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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