HP class action alleges company advertises false prices, markdowns

HP false reference pricing class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Rodney Carvalho and Mark Maher filed a class action lawsuit against HP Inc. 
• Why: Carvalho and Maher claim HP misleads consumers into believing they are getting bigger discounts by advertising inflated strikethrough prices on its website. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court. 

HP misleads consumers by displaying inflated strikethrough prices on its website in order to advertise fictitious savings, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiffs Rodney Carvalho and Mark Maher claim HP places the allegedly misleading strikethrough prices—a practice known as false reference pricing—in order to “maximize its profits.” 

Carvalho and Maher argue HP uses false reference pricing to artificially increase the demand for its products and induce consumers to pay more for them by making them appear more valuable than they actually are. 

“The savings are fictitious because they do not represent the actual savings obtained by customers,” states the HP class action. 

Carvalho and Maher want to represent a nationwide Class of individuals who, since Oct. 13, 2017, have purchased an HP product on the company’s website that was advertised as being discounted from a strikethrough price. 

Plaintiffs also want to represent a subclass of individuals who are identified as consumers under California law and who, since Oct. 13, 2018, purchased an HP product on its website that was advertised as being discounted from a strikethrough price. 

HP accused of ‘pervasive’ use of false reference pricing on its website

Carvalho and Maher claim the use of false reference pricing is “pervasive throughout its website” and that the company is “willfully” violating California laws made in regard to the practice. 

HP’s alleged use of false reference pricing also harms competition by giving it an “unfair advantage” over other companies which do not engage in the practice, the HP class action alleges. 

Carvalho and Maher claim HP is guilty of unjust enrichment and in violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, and Consumers Legal Remedies Act. 

Plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and requesting injunctive relief along with actual and punitive damages for themselves and all Class Members. 

A separate class action lawsuit was filed against HP last month over claims the company’s All-in-One printers are unable to scan or fax when they have insufficient ink. 

Have you purchased an HP product from its website that was advertised as on a discount from a strikethrough price? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiffs are represented by Daniel A. Rozenblatt and Seth W. Wiener of Edge, A Professional Law Corporation, and Tarek H. Zohdy, Cody R. Padgett, and Laura E. Goolsby of Capstone Law APC. 

The HP False Reference Pricing Class Action Lawsuit is Carvalho, et al. v. HP Inc., Case No. 5:21-cv-08015, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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