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An Illinois couple claims the LeafFilter gutter system is defective and actually left them with more work to do to ensure their gutters worked properly.
According to lead plaintiffs James and Geraldine Zilinsky, the LeafFilter gutter system is advertised as a time- and labor-saving device that will spare homeowners the hassle of traditional gutter cleaning. In fact, the couple says they and other consumers paid a premium for the product based on these marketing claims.
However, they soon discovered the product suffered from defects that made it more difficult for their gutters to function. In addition, the LeafFilter’s defects resulted in damage to their property.
“LeafFilter possesses a latent defect that prevents substantial amounts of rainwater from passing through the LeafFilter system and instead causes (1) rainwater to flow over the top of the LeafFilter system and damage Plaintiffs’ and class members’ homes, foundations, landscaping, sidewalks, and fascia; and (2) debris to accumulate on top of the LeafFilter system that must be cleaned off by the homeowner,” the class action lawsuit alleges.
LeafFilter is advertised as a gutter guard, according to the class action lawsuit, that purportedly prevents leaves and other debris from entering a home’s gutter, saving homeowners from the task of gutter cleaning. The product is touted as protecting a home’s gutters from all types of debris, including leaves, pine needles and even grit from shingles, the complaint states.
The Zalinskys say they fell for advertising by the manufacturer LeafFilter North, in early 2020 and paid more than $3,000 to have the product installed in their home; however, the plaintiffs say, they noticed water washed over the system during heavy rainfall within a month of having the system in place. They claim that prior to calling to notify the company about the rainfall overflow issue, they were never informed that the LeafFilter would not work during heavy rain.
According to the complaint, LeafFilter recommended lowering their gutters to solve the problem. The Zalinskys said they hired another contractor to evaluate whether the gutters could be lowered on their home and were told emphatically not to lower the gutters. Instead, the couple alleges, they paid nearly $400 to have the LeafFilter removed and it is now sitting in their garage.
“Had Defendant disclosed the defect, Plaintiffs and class members would have negotiated a lower price to reflect the risk and defect or simply avoided the risk and defect altogether by not purchasing LeafFilter,” the complaint states.
The class action lawsuit claims LeafFilter North has known of problems with its product for years but still advertises the product to consumers. The plaintiffs say LeafFilter North actively conceals the defective nature of the LeafFilter from consumers.
The complaint points out that many consumers have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) about LeafFilter, along with notifying their attorney general’s office.
According to the class action lawsuit, the filter on the LeafFilter gutter system is too fine. It clogs up, the complaints say, and needs more cleaning than the regular gutters ever did. Online complaints also describe water pour off homes with LeafFilter installed, causing mold and other damage.
The plaintiffs contend LeafFilter North not only fails to disclose its defective product in its marketing materials, it makes an effort to scrub the internet of consumer complaints.
According to the class action lawsuit, “once consumers complain about the LeafFilter defect, Defendant enters into confidential settlement agreements with consumers, which requires the consumer to promise not to disparage/ further disparage the LeafFilter system through online message or complaint boards such as the BBB, yelp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and other consumer information websites and social media platforms, as a condition of removal and refund.”
In addition, the plaintiffs say LeafFilter North falsely advertises its warranty.
Allegedly, the so-called limited lifetime warranty is “specifically crafted” to only cover internal clogs in the gutter system; however, the plaintiffs point out the problem comes from debris on top of the LeafFilter that does not allow water to enter into the gutter.
The class action lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide Class of consumers who purchased a LeafFilter gutter system, as well as Ohio and Illinois subclasses. The plaintiffs accuse LeafFilter North of violating state consumer protection lawsuit, of fraud and of unjust enrichment.
Have you had a LeafFilter gutter system installed? We want to hear from you! Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.
The lead plaintiffs James and Geraldine Zilinsky and the proposed Class Members are represented by Jeffrey S. Goldenberg and Todd B. Naylor of Goldenberg Schneider LPA; and Janet R. Varnell, Matthew Peterson and Brian Warwick of Varnell & Warwick.
The LeafFilter Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Zilinsky v. LeafFilter North LLC, Case No. 2:20-cv-6229, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division.
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454 thoughts onLeafFilter Gutter System Defective, Class Action Lawsuit Says
We had Leaf Filter installed and immediately realized it was not installed correctly. It was all rippled. I called and asked someone to take a look at it. They came out and said it was fine. I questioned how the debris would blow off if it was caught in the lumpy screening. Also several sections had sunk below the gutter. Several other times I called to have someone check the screens because debris was piling up on my roof as well as the screens. Two more times someone came to look at the issue and again, said it was fine. I have had to go out on a section of my roof and blow off the debris many many times! Then it reached a point where I had little plants growing on my roof! I reached a pinnacle point when I discovered that the constant debris never blowing off and remaining wet all the time, caused rot around a window and rotted three boards of my clear redwood siding! I had to have a contractor remove and replace the rotted boards and the frame around the window. It was so rotted that the Tyvek (ice and water shield) wrap below the siding had rotted and the wood base frame below the Tyvek was completely rotted! (I have many pictures to show this situation.) I have also discovered another area where I will have to replace more siding around another window! This is a totally unacceptable situation. Leaf Filter should be held responsible.
really the worst and most fraudulent company I have ever dealt with. Nothing goes in not even the rain. Constantly, like every day or two, recleaning areas. My house has many levels and the uppers drop down to the lower before entering the gutters. I live in the trees with a lot of needles and the salesman, if he had any integrity, should have told me this product would not work. they sent out a couple of tweakers to install and they did not finish. I had to keep calling them for a return and they kept lying and never showing. I called the warranty number over and over with no return call from the local company. Finally I backdoored them and showed up in person. Then I got a little attention but nothing resolved. $10,000 and now I am considering removing them as they are rotting out my siding and the water is entering into my garage space through the stem wall. It get so saturated that the water starts to puddle in my garage. My house is starting to show signs of settling I believe due to the water not being captured by the gutters. I have live here for 20 years and since the installation I am getting settling in my second story that is showing up in my ridgeline vaulted ceiling. It now has a 1/4″ crack along the peak. My concrete in my garage has fractures in it. These guys are crooks and were is the govt. to protect consumers from this fraud. $10,000 for a fancy sales pitch and $1,000 in product.
I have had to replace my facia boards and my soffits because of the leaf filter system. I was told that any debris would get washed off when it rained But that is not true. I have pictures of what clogged the leaf filter system. People should never buy the leaf filter system.
Just called to have the leaffilter removed from our rain gutters. They called us back after scheduling appointment for January 4th 2023. We had them installed after we had our roof shampooed and thought what a great thing. My Fsther 81 year old had them come out two times. Once because bats got into the gutters and 2nd because bees. They sealed off the rain gutter. Then heavy rain the water poured over the edge of the rain gutter.
Then Snow and ice damb build up. They came out and said install heat tape in the spring.
They refuse to come take off their product and refund our money!!!
Plus I told them arguing with an 81 year old and taking their money by not communicating clearly their product is a felony. They are criminal and thief’s as far as I am concerned. Definitely not honest with their faulty products. Their screen is too small water can not get into rain gutter!!!
really the worst and most fraudulent company I have ever dealt with. Nothing goes in not even the rain. Constantly, like every day or two, recleaning areas. My house has many levels and the uppers drop down to the lower before entering the gutters. I live in the trees with a lot of needles and the salesman, if he had any integrity, should have told me this product would not work. they sent out a couple of tweakers to install and they did not finish. I had to keep calling them for a return and they kept lying and never showing. I called the warranty number over and over with no return call from the local company. Finally I backdoored them and showed up in person. Then I got a little attention but nothing resolved. $10,000 and now I am considering removing them as they are rotting out my siding and the water is entering into my garage space through the stem wall. It get so saturated that the water starts to puddle in my garage. My house is starting to show signs of settling I believe due to the water not being captured by the gutters. I have live here for 20 years and since the installation I am getting settling in my second story that is showing up in my ridgeline vaulted ceiling. It now has a 1/4″ crack along the peak. My concrete in my garage has fractures in it. These guys are crooks and were is the govt. to protect consumers from this fraud. $10,000 for a fancy sales pitch and $1,000 in product.
I had Leaf Filters installed 3 years ago, sounded like the ideal solution. Our problem is ice jams and overhangs of ice, water then splashes up on my house, my wood pile, down into my heat pump and makes my front door totally unusable due to the porch being a sheet of ice. I wrote to them once and got no reply, from the sound of the above comments there seems no reason to try anymore. I notice there are no longer any TV commercials. Would be interested in class action if any still available, just want my money back for the install so I can pay someone to tear it out. Might just install hardware cloth over top, can’t work any worse.
I have Leaf filter installed on March of 23 and they strapped the gutters to the house looks terrible called complain they said that’s the way we do it
I am not a leaf filter customer but I was an installer… I am so upset right now because I signed on install for this company and just want everyone to know that not only are the customers paying for it but so are the installers. The company keeps a retention fee from every job that the installers do in case of shotty installation. I got my retention fees back but they kept thousands of dollars from my husband who also installed and we have heard that they keep it from almost all of the installers that decide not to stay with the company long term. From what I’m reading, the installers are paying for all of these service calls as well! They are double dipping! They are charging us for their shitty product failing. Not a bad install. They try to make you think that you are going to make so much money installing… it’s a scam for the installers too. We had to drive hours everyday and get shifty reimbursement for gas and mileage, not to mention wear and tear on our vehicles. We collected these $4-8 thousand dollar checks and only got like 2-5 hundred dollars for the install… it was a joke. The sales guys never bid the job right… the customers have no idea just how messed up this company really is… there is a whole different class action lawsuit this company should be paying as well… please contact me and my husband ASAP… the only reason that I got the money owed to me was bc I threatened to out them to our news station problem solver team. I’m so upset to hear that they try to scrub the internet. The people’s voice needs to be heard…
What can be done about this. I’m having my Nationwide Home owners insurance do what they can to repair this backup
Causing Jack boot to fail and cause back flow that’s has run back in several places and worsened since LeafFilter system was put in July 14th, 2021. This overflow of water seems to be causing a shifting of the foundation in other areas, as well.
After 3 years my leaf filter mesh screen are detaching from the frames and are waving in the breeze. $4500 wasted.
I have just got leaffiter which I called leafguard. But leaffilter came out and installed my guards and damage my metal roof. I’m sure I’m going to have the same problem has many here.
I had Leaffilter installed on my existing gutter and after a little over year i realized the fine mesh filter was clogging up with organic debris. I contacted the company and had them remove their screen.
We had it installed and have called to get help over 100 times, had 4 service people out to try and fix it, and were left with a molding leak in our roof from the splash guards backing up. It lead to a waterfall over the system chasing landscape damage and would slash into the widows. Now no one will call me back to help six the issue. I get passed from
Manager to manager saying they can’t do anything. I am so frustrated and stressed. We had to pay for a new roof at this point and trenches to be dug around the house so we did not get more water damage.
Since having Lee filter installed there hasn’t been nothing but problems. Leaks and problems with the filtering of the rain and debris. When you call the representative he is extremely rude. He stated when told that there’s a possibility of contacting the Better Business Bureau his answer was “so what they’re not gonna do anything” They keep sending an inexperienced worker who doesn’t have the proper size ladder or equipment. He did some work that looks that was unprofessional beyond description. I complained about that he keeps coming back and saying…I can caulk it, I can caulk it like a parrot. This began immediately after installation. I was overcharged and promise a significant refund. I have not gotten any further contacts back from the representative who made the snide remark about the Better Business Bureau. Due to my personal experience and reading other experiences I would not recommend Lee filter to anyone. They have bait and switch and bad faith down to a science.
Hey guys I got suckered too, salesman lied about icicles and ice jams we never had either before leaf filter was installed, freeze and thaw by front porch makes a nice ice skating area,I also have a beautiful waterfall feature around the house putting water against the foundation, when I talked to there supervisor he said prove you Didn’t have water there before, winter is just starting and I had to go up the ladder again to clean debris oh the screen again, I cannot get to the high areas, I can’t believe i got duped count me in…
Same here. I’ve had LeafFilter for only 3 months and it has already failed due to ice buildup. The Sales person told me that it would not happen because of superior materials and the built-in slant of the Leaffilter. Not true.
I agree with all the comments, I have a metal roof, I didn’t know if I had leaf guards on my gutters come to find out I did from pervious owner. When I came to see what the installer was doing he was pulling the old leaf guard off. The way the was taking off leaf guard damage my roof because the old leafguar was attach under my metal roof. Which I was told they don’t remove gutterguards attach to the roof. I have video of leafguard inspector telling me that it’s a bad job and get the installer insurance to fix everything he damaged. I didn’t pay them yet because my gutter are damaged they stiff the gutterguard in a 5in gutter which their gutter guard should be on a 6in gutter. I have many videos and pictures. I got them in Nov/2022. When we have rain or snow my house look like a waterfall.. which I never saw out of 3 years since I bought my home. Please add me
I am in Michigan and we haven’t had rain and been in a fraught so my issue did not show up until 3 weeks ago with recent rain. I have my system since December 28, 2021. I have now have foundation leaking into my finished basement after the last few rainfalls. I nstead of the rain going into the gutter, it just goes over the top. I called them out and they put about 3ft of splashguard over my patio door and 3ft over the window. Now I’m not a gutter person but this is diverting the water and and going to cause more problems. They said to send a video next rain. Now the clincher is they wanted to charge me a $95.00 service fee. I advised I would not pay it. They waived it and put a small bandaid on a big wound. At this stage I want to have the system removed. What recourse do we have for this design flaw? I do not have any clogs or debris according to the service tech. So frustrating.
We had it installed April 2022. We have pine needles built
Up over roof and bunching up on filters. Water gushes over the gutters onto out porches and walkways. Called them out twice. First they blew off top of house and said working as intended. No charge first time but will be $99 from now on. I asked for my complaint to be elevated and local manager refused and said I didn’t deserve an elevated ticket. He was extremely RUDE. Said he couldn’t help buyers remorse. $16,000 wasted