A class action lawsuit claims that Rite Aid automatically opts customers into donating to the KidsCents charity without their consent.
Plaintiff Katherine Martinez says a KidCents donation was regularly charged to her without her knowledge during multiple purchases she made from Rite Aid’s stores.
The Rite Aid class action lawsuit states that the company’s practice of enrolling customers into the charity program without their knowledge or consent violates multiple California statutes that aim to protect consumers.
The plaintiff is seeking an injunction to prevent the company from continuing to violate these statutes.
Martinez claims that sometime before December 2018, she made a purchase from a Rite Aid location in San Diego.
The Rite Aid class action lawsuit states that during the checkout process, she was opted into the Rite Aid Foundation’s KidsCents program, and as a consequence, Rite Aid rounded every transaction associated with Martinez’s Wellness card to the whole dollar.
Rite Aid reportedly retains the difference to donate to the KidsCents charity after taking a percentage for itself.
According to Martinez, this process continues indefinitely or at least until the customer opts out of the program.
The Rite Aid automatic charity donation class action lawsuit argues that at no time did Martinez knowingly consent to donate to the charity on a continuing basis. She says that over the course of a few months, Rite Aid took a total of $2.56 from her without her knowledge or consent.
Allegedly, Rite Aid sets up the donations in a way that is “inherently misleading and confusing to consumers,” especially to senior citizens.
The Rite Aid KidsCents class action claims that this practice has resulted in money being taken from Martinez and other customers without their consent.
Martinez’s Rite Aid class action lawsuit asserts that Rite Aid knew or should have known that the donations were misleading, because many consumers have complained about being opted into the program without their consent, but the company has taken no action to correct the problem.
The Rite Aid KidsCents class action asserts that a review of the online comments about the program indicates that a majority of consumers were opted into the program without their knowledge.
According to Martinez, since 2014, customers have complained that the opt-in is misleading, and that nothing warns customers of the program details. Some consumers have reportedly criticized Rite Aid for this “underhanded way to get people to contribute to a charity.”
Allegedly, Rite Aid ties all donations to the KidsCents program to a Wellness card, and every time a customer enters in their phone number associated with their card or swipes their physical card, they can have the donation charged to them.
According to the Rite Aid charity class action, after a cardholder is opted into the program, any time they use their Wellness card, they will be charged for the KidsCents program.
Martinez is represented by Abbas Kazerounian, Jason Ibey, and Nicholas Barthel of Kazerouni Law Group APC, and by Joshua B. Swigart of Hyde & Swigart.
The Rite Aid KidsCents Charity Donation Class Action Lawsuit is Katherine Martinez v. Rite Aid Corporation, Case No. 3:19-cv-00569-H-NLS, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
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253 thoughts onRite Aid Class Action Says Charity Donations Collected Without Consent
Please add me I’m so upset I looked at my receipt and had no idea what kidcents contribution was. I went on line and read that Rite Aid included me without my consent. I go to Rite Aid for all our prescriptions and it’s hard to say just how much I so called contributed.
It never seemed like the “rounding up” was much at the time of the purchase, but it did upset me that I didn’t have the option to donate. Then one day when my total was rounded up 97 cents, I asked why I wasn’t asked if I wanted to round up. I was told I would have to go on the website to opt out. That is when I decided to take my business else where.
I noticed when my mother suffered a stroke and we started shopping for her. I’m so pissed and please don’t get me wrong I donate. I don’t mind donating to a charity but to take someone’s money without their knowledge is wrong. I’m upset because Of the tricky way their doing this. And most seniors live on a fixed income so the $ your taking from them to give to a organization could be the money they might need for some food or medicine. ? It’s wrong! Add me to the lawsuit. Will be giving the money what ever it is to my mother. Thank you!
Add me. I have been contributing for many years. I have tried unsuccessfully tried via email and phone calls to have it removed. no luck so far.
This has been happening to me also. I called the store last night and asked them how they are able to do that and he said it was because of the covid.. I want it to stop It is very deceptive. I can choose for myself what I want to give to.
This has happened to me more than three times that I can figure. They never ask you and just give you the rounded total. I finally caught on and asked why it was more than it should have been, so the cashier said he could void it. By that time the transaction was complete. I had no idea I was opted in without my consent, or that I had to request to be opted out. This all smells like a Tony Soprano scam to me.
This is happening to me. I never agreed to it. What nerve!
How do I join the class action suit?
Me too!
I just left rite aid today and they took money from me without consent if I see any charges additional charges I will contact my bank for fraudulent charges. It’s a low thing to do to people and not let them choose. From here on out I just won’t use my rewards. Please add me I’ve been charged for years and I want it to stop.
I never concented. I never noticed this till the other day. I’m on ssi I have no extra money I spent $ 129 and kidcents took
86 cents.
I could use that 86 cents
I Can’t believe my hometown store has been taking advantages of their costermers.
I noticed other day I never was asked ever if I wanted to donate. It’s sneaky and it’s stealing form me really.
I was going to bring my receipts back and tell them to explain this crap.
But I think I wait and see just how long they get away with taking are money without my concent.
Extremely disappointed in the store I loved shopping at.
Did love, now I don’t trust them.
I had been in an accident and had on a cask when I had a prescription fill on 3/31/20 at Rite Aid at 2020 N. Riverside Avenue, Rialto, California 92376. I could not use the credit card machine for me to pay for the prescription because of my injury, so the pharmacy employee did my input on the credit card machine and I managed to punch in my pin, I swipe my card and managed to sign. I left the store and after I started to feel better later, I looked at my receipt and noticed there was a second item on my receipt for a Kidcents Contribution for $.76 that I never authorized. I went back to the store on 4/15/20 and had them remove the item and found out that it may be reoccuring item each month. At the store, the cashier told me that she was able to stop the one time charge but I needed to check my account to see if it reoccured next month. I also was told that I needed to check my other receipts or my bank statement to find out if they have charged me prior to me finding this out on 4/15/20.