Are Cree LED Lights Are Any Good?

By Tracy Colman | May 2, 2019

Category: Household

Confused woman looking at LED light bulbs While LED light bulbs have been highly promoted as an energy-saving alternative to traditional incandescent bulbs in recent years, consumers have been questioning whether Cree LED lights make the grade.

In October 2017, according to Truth in Advertising, a class action lawsuit was filed against the company by lead plaintiff Jeff Y. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The complainant held that the lighting manufacturer implied and outright indicated through its package labeling and advertising that Cree LED light bulbs were capable of lasting 35,000 burn hours or the equivalent of 15-32 years of use.

Jeff went on to claim that this high number of purported burn hours created the impression to purchasers that their investment of $15 and $20 per bulb was worth it. The money laid out on the front end would be recouped several times over due to the length of life.

Each bulb allegedly came with a warranty of ten years. Through his counsel he enumerated multiple online complaints registered regarding the actual lifespan of Cree LED light bulbs.

Jeff alleged he purchased three standard A-type bulbs from Cree in the Spring of 2015 burn out within a few months. He alleged that the LED products were installed and used according to the instructions printed on and in the packaging. Purchased at Walmart, the chief complainant says that each bulb cost between $15 and $20.

In a separate posting by Truth in Advertising, reference has been made to another Cree light bulb class action lawsuit registered in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Cree on April 9, 2019. Stephanie V.—the lead plaintiff—posed many of the same allegations over false advertising by implication and outright statements on Cree’s bulb packaging.

This legal complaint, much like the previous action in 2017, spoke of problems with meeting the stated standards of longevity. It also talked of the lighting manufacturer’s tendency to promise a given amount of monetary savings over the life of the purchased bulb as compared to a traditional incandescent. The lawsuit spells out promises of $95 to $177 lifetime energy savings.

While Stephanie’s lawsuit didn’t specify the lighting products purchased under the Cree brand, the narrative claims Cree light bulbs failed within as little as six months. The class representative had done internet research and relied upon the claims on the packaging.

A present-day review of the company’s website shows a variety of Cree LED light bulbs with claims on the packaging of at least 25,000 burn hours. LED lights reviewed on the Consumer Reports website say that LED lights are typically claimed to last about 22 years when used at three hours per day. Purchasers of Cree light bulbs say that promise rarely matches up with the reality.

Are you a California resident who has had a bad experience with Cree LED light bulbs? Did you invest in these premium lighting products through a California retail store, only to be disappointed? TCA can help you find experienced attorneys looking for primary plaintiffs willing to act as class representatives in a Cree LED lighting class action lawsuit.