Class action suits
Jul. 26th, 2008 08:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
johnridleyI just got an email from Netflix; they had a class action suit against them a while ago, and the settlement was that affected parties would get one free month subscription. I got an email from them in November of 2005 announcing the settlement, but they didn't have the mechanism in place to collect it yet. I canceled my subscription a few months later.
A few months ago (in 2008) I signed up for a free 2 week introductory thing, then called them up and check if I could collect my free month now. Nobody there even knew what I was talking about, but eventually a supervisor was found who said "yeah, that's still tied up in court."
Finally, yesterday, I got an email with a URL I could use to get my free month.
So, 3 years from the settlement to any payout. The original filing was in September of 2004, so it was over a year before the settlement as well.
I think the lawsuit was silly, really, but the times involved are indicative of typical class action suits in my experience.
I was auto-enrolled in this, and just chose not to opt-out.
I still have the payout check from the only previous class action suit I bothered to opt in to; after about 3 years of legal wrangling, during which time they sent me 3 or 4 updates, some many pages of printed matter in full-size envelopes that cost a dollar or two to mail, I finally got the settlement; it was a check for FIVE CENTS. Many times less than the postage for the updates, let alone processing of the form I filled out, or printing all the stuff and managing the lists. Clearly the lawyers were the main beneficiary there.
A few months ago (in 2008) I signed up for a free 2 week introductory thing, then called them up and check if I could collect my free month now. Nobody there even knew what I was talking about, but eventually a supervisor was found who said "yeah, that's still tied up in court."
Finally, yesterday, I got an email with a URL I could use to get my free month.
So, 3 years from the settlement to any payout. The original filing was in September of 2004, so it was over a year before the settlement as well.
I think the lawsuit was silly, really, but the times involved are indicative of typical class action suits in my experience.
I was auto-enrolled in this, and just chose not to opt-out.
I still have the payout check from the only previous class action suit I bothered to opt in to; after about 3 years of legal wrangling, during which time they sent me 3 or 4 updates, some many pages of printed matter in full-size envelopes that cost a dollar or two to mail, I finally got the settlement; it was a check for FIVE CENTS. Many times less than the postage for the updates, let alone processing of the form I filled out, or printing all the stuff and managing the lists. Clearly the lawyers were the main beneficiary there.
