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LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

$13.5 Preliminary Settlement Approved in Room To Go Consumer Fraud Class Action Lawsuit


This is a settlement for the lawsuit.

Santa Clara, CA: A $13.5 million settlement has received preliminary approval in a consumer fraud class action lawsuit pending against furniture retailer Rooms To Go. If the settlement receives final approval, it will end allegations that the company deliberately misled consumers into purchasing fabric protection that was not properly applied.

US District Court Judge James I. Cohn approved the settlement, and certified a nationwide settlement class of all customers who purchased Room to Go’s fabric protection products for their furniture.

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 by Florida plaintiffs Benjamin Hankinson, James Guerra, Ed Paulus and Jeanette Gandolfo. They alleged Rooms To Go, misled customers into buying ForceField fabric protection plans and ForceField leather protection plans. The fabric protection products, which cost 10 percent of the furniture purchase price, either were applied to the furniture in a haphazard manner or not applied at all, the lawsuit claimed.

Further, the plaintiffs asserted that they tested various furniture items they had purchased and found no evidence that the furniture had been treated with a stain-protection product. They claimed that the defendant encouraged its staff to sell the furniture protection plan to consumers as a means of increasing revenue.

In 2016, the lawsuit was amended to include plaintiffs from Texas and Georgia. A separate suit was filed in December on behalf of consumers in North Carolina and this proposed settlement resolves all these claims.

According to the proposed settlement terms, the plaintiffs can either receive cash valued at 10 percent of the total amount they paid for the fabric protection or a voucher that can be used in-store at Rooms To Go and is valued at 45 percent of what they spent on the fabric protection products.

Rooms To Go has also committed to retraining the staff members responsible for applying the fabric protection products, as stipulated in the settlement terms.

The case is Hankinson et al v. R.T.G. Furniture Corp., case number 9:15-cv-8113,9 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

The North Carolina case is Triplett v. Rooms to Go North Carolina Corp., d/b/a Rooms to Go, R.T.G. Furniture Corp, case number 5:16-cv-00926, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

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Published on Aug-7-17


READER COMMENTS

Posted by

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Have leather sofa couch and 3 recliners bought at room store. me and my wife ich in them. On internet it is a great problem everywhere Makes us ich And break out. They have hardly been sat in. Want to get rid of them to the Room Store. They will do nothing about it. Got to be millions of us out there. Can you help? Thanks, BRENT FARBER

Posted by

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I purchased a sectional sofa and the extended warranty on all 7 pieces of the furniture. The added extended warranty which was around $275-$300 was supposed to extend the warranty by 3 years. so I thought the warranty covering the sectional was for 4 yrs. So if a piece of furniture has a 1 year warranty and you purchase a 3 year warranty isn't that a total of 4 years. The main reason I purchased the warranty was I was concerned about the bonded material cracking or scratches on the material bc I have younger kids. I was told the the material was improved and wouldn't peel well they lied. The sectional sofa I purchased started shedding almost to the date the warranty ended short of a year. When i called in and explained what was going on they told me the warranty had just ended. I hadn't realized that the warranty I purchased when they stated 3 years was including the 1yr. manufactures warranty that you would have no matter what. what a joke this warranty was everything I was afraid this bonded material would do it did. I was given a reselection prorated bc I called one month of the sectional being out of warranty for $988.00 which want cover anther sectional in the store. Also they are doing me a favor according the CS rep. furniture was out of warranty. I explained that they aren't doing anyone a favor especially me. A credit should be a credit held in you name and i shouldn't have to call ever 30 days to get it extended if it was owed to me. The idea that they issued me $988 in store credit toward a reselection of equal or greater value which means i will have to spend $2200-$2500 bc out of the $988 they game me remember that $300 i spent on the warranty the 1st time I'm also forced to purchase the warranty again on the new purchase. So technically I might have $300 toward a purchase and then I have to also pay for delivery for furniture that isn't even 41/2 years old.
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Posted by

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I lost the card that was sent in the mail . Can so done tell me what is the website that I could be part of the claim

Posted by

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I recently received a postcard about the protection lawsuit and I misplaced it. Trying to find a phone number or email to respond to this lawsuit. Can anyone help? Thanks

Posted by

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I purchased a sofa, love seat and a chair. I was given 3 bottles to protect the material. It didn't work. All three pieces are peeling. No one hardly sat in the chair and the material is flaking off. The so-called frabic protector was a sham

Posted by

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In 2013 I bought a couch, loveseat, recliner and dinette or kitchen set with 4 fabric bottom chairs all of which they insisted MUST be treated by them with Force Field Protection at a cost of $177.00. The furniture was delivered to a house I did not move into for a year. Now the couch arm is already peeling and was supposedly leather on top of that. I contacted them and have their answer in writing. They wanted to pick up all 4 pieces of living room set and had me send them pictures before I got their answer and reimburse me only $595.00 (for all four pieces) and let me pick out four more pieces and pay difference in price. I asked for a full refund and did not hear back from them. I don't think they put any protectant at all on any of the pieces but I have my receipts where I was charged for it.

Posted by

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Who agreed to this type of settlement?? This is bull... I paid 109.00 for the protection to be applied and I am only going to get $11.00 or a $45.00 merchandise voucher??? I have spent more than the $109.00 to have the sofas cleaned because RTG failed to do their job. This is crap... Who is winning and losing here, RTG is winning. A measly $45.00 buys nothing in their store and what the hell is $11.00 going to do when I paid over 100.00. All the people should be getting 100% of their hard earned money back!!

Posted by

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I got the bottles they sold me they told me to take them home and apply it to my sectional. I was charged 10% like they were doing it them selves. My sofa has peeled and didn't last long at all.

Posted by

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I would not have purchased this type of fabric had I not been sold the protection plan. Why not replace the furniture? .

Posted by

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I bought two living room set packages. One was fabric the second set is leather. I was told on both sets purchased that fabric protection was applied. On the fabric set package deal I was told about the protection of the furniture was applied. When I called about not being able to get a stain out because I had paid for protection if this furniture I was told they would send someone out to remove the stain and reapply the protection guard. No one came after several attempts. Later I bought a leather furniture set sofa and love seat. Again I paid for stain protection. My leather looks awful dull and ugly.

Posted by

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I purchased two leather living room sets and was told it was required to have all pieces treated with protectant.

Posted by

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I have bought at least 3 living room the last 2 were awful my leather sectional peeled really bad still have pictures the second and last one didn't have the protector on it even though I paid for it

Posted by

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My claim identification number is 12068825601, seeing what this is about

Posted by

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I did purchase a soda set from RTG in 2015

Posted by

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i was told that it was a requirement to have this.

Posted by

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I think I am having an allergic reaction when I sit
on my leather furniture. Any one else?

Posted by

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I paid for this plan as well, I have the receipt here now, and as I am looking at it they charged me $150.72 for this plan. So either I get a $15.00 check, which is worthless, or a Voucher for $70.00. But ask yourself this, what in God's name could you even think about buying at RTG for $70.00 anyways??? Such greed in today's major businesses.

Posted by

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I was given 2 bottles to put on the furniture but I fid pay a fee I readly don't know if they did put anything on it

Posted by

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I also was charge a large amount to spray my sofa and love seat when i question said i had to have this done not a choice.

Posted by

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I too was sold this ridiculous furniture protectant and charged accordingly when they did not even spray it as they said they would. They also did not even tell me they were charging me for it until after they charged my credit card.

Posted by

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Purchased several rooms of furniture from rooms to go along with warranty protection. Received bottles to apply myself. I was told they would deliver with protection already applied.

Posted by

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I got the bottles they sold me. they told me to take it home and do my self, they don't do it. But they charge you 10% of the same LIKE THEY DID DO it. Bottles are 1 fluid ounce. How about that one other scam, they sell warranty but they dont honor it, for fabric damages unless their product has warranty AND the fabric protector

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