UrthBox ‘Free’ Snack Box FTC Refunds In The Mail

The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly mailing checks to people who signed up for a supposedly free snack box from UrthBox Inc., but were charged for six months of snack box shipments if they did not opt out of the automatic renewal before the end of the month.

A total of 2,221 refund checks are being sent to customers affected by UrthBox’s allegedly misleading marketing. In total, the checks are worth more than $84,000.

The Federal Trade Commission accused UrthBox of misrepresenting the terms of the free snack box in an effort to get more customers to unknowingly make automatic renewal purchases. 

The press release provided on the FTC website explains that UrthBox advertised a “free trial” of its snack box services, if customers paid a shipping and handling fee. Reportedly, this offer was available between October 2016 and November 2017.

The FTC says UrthBox did not make it clear to customers that though the first box of snacks was free, the company would automatically enroll customers into a six month order of snack boxes, and charge them for the full six months if they did not cancel their subscription by the end of the month.

Allegedly, both the desktop version and the mobile version of UrthBox’s website provided inadequate information about the terms of the promotion.

The FTC further accused UrthBox of misrepresenting itself to consumers. According to the FTC, UrthBox offered free snack boxes for good reviews on the Better Business Bureau and other sites, but represented these reviews as unbiased or independent in an effort to attract potential customers.

The agency claims that UrthBox violated the FTC Act by misrepresenting the nature of the reviews. Additionally, the FTC claimed that UrthBox did not adequately disclose what compensation customers received for providing reviews.

Allegedly, UrthBox took advantage of consumers and intentionally misled them in an attempt to gain subscriptions that they otherwise would not have sold. According to the FTC, this caused customers financial injury. 

In launching a complaint against UrthBox, the FTC aimed to protect and educate consumers, as well as promote competition in the market. The FTC filed its complaint against UrthBox in April 2019. 

UrthBox agreed to settle the FTC’s claims to avoid legal consequences. In the settlement, UrthBox agreed to pay $100,000 to the FTC, in order to compensate customers who were affected by the allegedly misleading trial offer. 

The FTC says that eligible consumers will soon be receiving UrthBox false subscription advertising refund checks. The checks will be worth an average of $37.94. The FTC notes that the checks must be cashed within 60 days. This limitation is reportedly noted on the check itself.

The federal agency goes on to advise customers that the FTC never requires customers to provide personal information or pay money to cash refund checks. Any request for money or information may be indicative of a scam attempt. Customers who have questions about the UrthBox refund checks can call Analytics Consulting at 1-844-954-1251.

The UrthBox Automatic Subscription Lawsuit is In the Matter of Urthbox Inc., et al., File No. 172 3028, before the Federal Trade Commission.

Did you receive an FTC refund check in the mail recently? If so, let us know in the comments below.

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