Lamps Plus, a company that sells lamps and other home furnishings in California, will pay $4.1 million to settle a false advertising claim.
What they allegedly did wrong
- Fake sales: They made it seem like things were on sale when they weren't really.
- Misleading price comparisons: They made their prices seem lower than their competitors' when they weren't.
- Tricky price match guarantee: They had a confusing policy about matching lower prices.
What happened next
- Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón sued the company.
- Lamps Plus agreed to pay $4.1 million to settle the case.
- They're not allowed to use these tricky advertising tactics anymore.
Lamps Plus didn't admit they did anything wrong, but they are cooperating with the investigation. This case shows that companies can't mislead customers with false advertising, Gascón said.
“Californians have a right to protection from unscrupulous companies seeking to trick hardworking individuals into shopping at their stores with deceptive pricing,” Gascón said.
The complaint alleged Lamps Plus unlawfully advertised false sales and discounts, misleading price match guarantees and deceptive comparisons of its prices to competitors since at least March 2017.