Sunglass Hut class action alleges retailer uses fake reference prices for sales

Sunglass Hut prices class action overview: 

• Who: A California man is suing Sunglass Hut.
• Why: The plaintiff claims the company uses deceptive pricing practices on its website.
• Where: The Sunglass Hut class action was filed in a California federal court.

A new class action lawsuit alleges Sunglass Hut uses deceptive pricing practices — including advertising inflated “reference prices” —  to create the illusion of significant discounts on its sunglasses website.

Plaintiff Dionte Bradley filed the class action lawsuit against Luxottica of America Inc. — doing business as Sunglass Hut — on Dec. 19 in a California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws. 

According to the lawsuit, Sunglass Hut practiced deceptive pricing practices by advertising “perpetual or near-perpetual discounts” on many of its products. This so-called false reference pricing is meant to deceive customers into believing they are getting a good deal. 

The lawsuit claims that Sunglass Hut’s reference prices are false and rarely, if ever, reflect the actual price at which the products are sold.

“Sunglass Hut represents to consumers that its reference price is the ‘regular’ or ‘normal’ price of the item, which functions as a new and inflated reference point from which consumers discount their ‘savings’ on various products,” the lawsuit says.

Lawsuit alleges customers were tricked into thinking they were getting discounts

The complaint argues that the alleged Sunglass Hut prices practice misleads consumers into believing they are getting a bargain when, in reality, they are paying the regular price or even more.

“The ‘sale’ price is the price at which Sunglass Hut regularly sells the product, but the consumer has been tricked into thinking he found a great discount,” the lawsuit says.

As a result, Bradley is looking to represent a nationwide class and a California subclass of consumers who purchased allegedly falsely discounted products on Sunglass Hut’s website.

He’s suing for violations of federal warranty laws and state consumer laws, and is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial. 

Consumers recently filed class action lawsuits against Lowe’s Home Centers, L.L. Bean, Under Armour and Sleep Number Corp., accusing these companies of false reference pricing similar to what Sunglass Hut is accused of in this lawsuit.

What do you think of the allegations in this Sunglass Hut class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiff is represented by Kyle McLean, Lisa R. Considine, David J. DiSabato and Leslie Pescia of Siri & Glimstad LLP.

The Sunglass Hut class action is Dionte Bradley v. Luxottica of America Inc., Case No. 3:24-cv-02401-L-AHG in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

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