FTC Mailing $700K in Lighting X-Change Refunds

The Federal Trade Commission is mailing checks to small businesses, organizations, and consumers who were tricked into paying for office supplies that they did not order, as part of a Lighting X-Change scam refund.

The FTC notes that more than 3,600 checks are being mailed out, and the total amount returned to victims of the scam totals $708,586. The average refund amount is $196, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s website.

The checks sent out to businesses and consumers are the result of a court order from claims made against Lighting X-Change Company LLC by the Federal Trade Commission over allegedly deceptive and unlawful business practices employed by the company.

The FTC’s claims resulted in a $720,000 judgement. Additionally, as part of the order in the FTC Lighting X-Change lawsuit, Lighting X-Change has been banned from using illegal shipping and billing practices that it allegedly used to trick customers out of money.

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s claims against Lighting X-Change, people and businesses were sent office supplies that they did not order, and then charged them for the supplies.

Allegedly, the company placed telemarketing calls to potential customers. The FTC says that in these calls, the telemarketers misled customers into believing that they had a previous business relationship with the customer, when really the call was really a sales call.

According to the fake office supplies order lawsuit, the telemarketers from Lighting X-Change falsely claimed that they wanted to send a free sample or catalog. Then, the company allegedly sent the customers office supplies, including light bulbs and cleaning supplies without disclosing the price up front.

Allegedly, the company sent customers these products, and charged them for the items, even though the customers never ordered the supplies. The FTC asserts that the company would then make a practice of billing customers for the products after they were already sent.

According to the FTC’s Lighting X-Change lawsuit, the scam continued because the business would send more products to the customers who paid for the products that they received. Allegedly, they then invoiced for these additional products.

The FTC Lighting X-Change lawsuit asserts that in addition to billing customers for products that they did not order, Lighting X-Change charged much more than market price for the products they sent to consumers.

The FTC notes that Lighting X-Change Company operated under a number of different names including Werner International Enterprises, LMS Lighting & Maintenance Solutions, Easton Chemical Supply, and American Industrial Enterprises.

The FTC advises recipients of the Lighting X-Change lawsuit refund checks to cash the checks within 60 days. If recipients of the checks have any questions, they should call the Lighting X-Change class action lawsuit refund administrator Analytics Consulting at 1-877-202-5930.

The Lighting X-Change Sales Scam Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-00281-GLR, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

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