Zales Class Action Alleges False Reference Pricing Scheme

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Zales False Reference Pricing Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

• Who: Jane Villalpando filed a class action lawsuit against Zale Corporation. 
• Why: Villalpando claims Zales uses false reference pricing to make its sale items appear at a greater discount than is actually the case. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.

Zale Corporation uses false reference pricing to make sale items on its website appear to be at a greater discount than what is true, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Jane Villalpando claims Zale advertises fictitious “original prices” for sale items that were never actually sold at the alleged false reference price. 

In addition to not being honest about the discount amount, Villalpando argues the alleged tactic “artificially inflates the true market price for these products” by raising a consumer’s internal reference price. 

“Consequently, this reference pricing schemes enable retailers, like Defendant, to sell products above their true market price and value—and consumers are left to pay the price,” the Zales class action states. 

Villalpando says she purchased several pieces of fsale jewelry on Zales website that were listed under what she argues was false reference pricing. 

Zales Class Action Claims Discount Price Compelled Consumer To Make Purchase

The alleged false reference pricing gave Villalpando more urgency to purchase the product since she felt the discount “would likely not last,” according to the Zales class action. 

Villalpando argues that only later would she find out that the items were never listed on the website for what was being as used as their “original price.” 

“This product was never offered for sale at the original price listed on Zales’ e-commerce website and certainly not within the 90 days preceding Plaintiff’s purchase,” the Zale’s class action states. 

Villalpando claims Zales is in violation of California’s False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act. 

Villalpando wants to represent a California class of consumers who purchased a product from zales.com or zalesoutlet.com that was for sale under what turned out to be a false reference price. 

Plaintiff is demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with statutory, actual, and punitive damages for herself and all class members. 

Zales previously failed to have dismissed a class action lawsuit from 2019 that alleged the company does not honor the terms of the lifetime warranties it sets. 

Have you purchased a sale item from either of Zales’ websites? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Todd D. Carpenter and Scott G. Braden of Lynch Carpenter LLP. The Zales False Reference Pricing Class Action Lawsuit is Villalpando v. Zale Corporation, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00432, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

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