Staples Rewards Class Action Settlement

Staples Inc. has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it under-credited Staples Rewards customers’ accounts by misapplying retail coupons.

If you are a Staples Rewards member who, between March 24, 2009 and April 25, 2017, purchased a Rewards-eligible product and a non-Rewards-eligible product in the same transaction, used an item-specific coupon on the product that was not eligible for Rewards and you were negatively affected by Staples’ coupon accounting method, you may be entitled to benefits from the class action settlement.

Plaintiff Neil Torczyner filed the Staples Rewards class action lawsuit in December 2016, accusing the office supply chain of engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices by not disclosing to Staples Rewards members that it would utilize pro rata coupon accounting when calculating Staples Rewards earnings when a transaction involved product-specific retail coupons.

This type of pro rata coupon accounting resulted in Rewards Points members receiving program credit at rates far below the percentage of the qualifying purchase amount represented, the Staples class action lawsuit alleges.

“By employing this deceptive method of calculating Rewards Points, Staples shorted its Members’ account credit which could have been used towards the purchase of most merchandise in Staples’ stores, online at staples.com, or by phone,” Torczyner alleges in the Staples Rewards class action lawsuit.

For example, Torczyner says he purchased three items from Staples, which included one bottle of Poland Spring water, for which he redeemed a product-specific coupon worth $1.50 off the purchase price.

When Torczyner logged into his Staples Rewards account, he found out Staples applied the $1.50 coupon on a pro rata basis across all of the items purchased, even though it only applied to the non-qualifying Poland Spring water, causing him to receive fewer rewards points than he should have been credited.

According to the Staples Rewards class action lawsuit, this practice is “an egregious misleading and deceptive practice designed to take advantage of its Members.”

Staples denies any wrongdoing, but agreed to settle the Staples Rewards class action lawsuit to avoid the expense and uncertainty of ongoing litigation.

The Staples class action settlement was preliminarily approved on April 25, 2017.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members of the Staples Rewards settlement include: “All United States Staples Rewards Members who, during the Class Period, [1] bought a Rewards-eligible product and a non-Rewards eligible product in the same transaction, [2] used an item-specific coupon on the non-Rewards eligible product, and [3] were negatively impacted by Staples’ pro rata coupon accounting.”

According to the Staples class action settlement documents, the Class Period means March 24, 2009 through April 25, 2017.

Potential Award

$10 in Staples Rewards

Proof of Purchase

N/A. However, Class Members may be asked to verify their claim. The Settlement Administrator has asked Class Members to retain any supporting receipts.

Claim Form

CLICK HERE TO FILE A CLAIM »

Claim Form Deadline

7/24/2017

Case Name

Torczyner v. Staples Inc., Case No. 3:16-cv-02965-JM-JLB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Final Hearing

8/28/2017

UPDATE: The Staples Rewards settlement was granted final approval on August 28, 2017.  However, on September 20, 2017 an appeal to the settlement was filed.  Claims will not be paid until all appeals are exhausted.  We appreciate your ongoing patience. Top Class Actions will continue to provide updates as we learn more.  

UPDATE 2: The appeal to the Staples Rewards settlement was dismissed on January 12, 2018.  Let Top Class Actions know when you receive your $10 reward in the comments section below or on our  Facebook page.

UPDATE 3: On March 8, 2018, Top Class Actions viewers who filed a claim for the Staples Rewards class action settlement started receiving $10 coupon codes via email. Congratulations to everyone who filed a claim and got PAID!

Settlement Website

www.TorczynervStaplesSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Torczyner v. Staples Inc. Settlement Administrator
c/o Kurtzman Carson Consultants (KCC)
P.O. Box 43484
Providence, RI 02940-3484
Admin@TorczynervStaplesSettlement.com

Class Counsel

Frank R. Schirripa
HACH ROSE SCHIRRIPA & CHEVERIE LLP

Defense Counsel

Michelle C. Doolin
COOLEY LLP