Steven Cohen  |  April 24, 2020

Category: Consumer News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

ring-doorbell

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Ring by a customer who claims the video doorbell and security company charges an undisclosed $3 per month fee.

This fee allegedly allows consumers to gain certain features, such as video recording, playback and snapshot.

Plaintiff Daniel F. Lebak, who calls himself a “private attorney general” says that the $3 per month fee is for the “Ring Basic Protection Plan.”

Lebak claims that without the ability to record video, take snapshots, or view and store images, the Ring doorbell is nothing more than an expensive way of seeing who is standing at one’s front door.

The plaintiff says that a homeowner who does not purchase the protection plan for $3 per month can only see a “live feed” of whoever is standing at the door and the owner cannot record, playback video or save any images to different devices.  

The Ring class action lawsuit is not maintaining that there is a defect in the Ring product. He alleges if Ring is going to require customers to spend an additional fee in order to access some of the features on Ring, this information should have been disclosed to a potential purchaser on the outside of the box.

“Ring’s conduct and its material omissions on the Ring video doorbell and security camera boxes that the video recording and snapshot features are in fact only functional upon paying an additional monthly fee of $3 or yearly fee of $30, are deceptive and misleading in violation of California law,” Lebak claims in the Ring class action lawsuit.

The plaintiff also mentions that Ring’s competitors include free cloud computing, snapshot features and video playback without charging additional monthly or yearly fees. 

Lebak alleges that he purchased a Ring video camera at a brick and mortar store and says the product did not indicate on the outside of the sealed box that some additional features of the device would cost extra money.

He states that he purchased a “Ring Video Doorbell 2” for $152.99 and it did not have any additional language on the outside of the box related to extra fees.

The Ring class action lawsuit says that the company widely markets its products as having the capability of operating as a security camera, which can trigger recordings when the doorbell is rung or when its motion sensors are activated.

In addition, Ring also promotes an app known as “Neighbors” which permits online social sharing of any captured video among users in an effort to capture criminals and increase homeowner safety, the plaintiff claims.

The plaintiff claims that without the video recording, playback and snapshot features, the Neighbors app and its usefulness in improving homeowner security would be useless.

Lebak says that the recording, playback and snapshot features are integral features of the Ring video doorbells and security cameras. 

The plaintiff also notes that the Ring Video Doorbell 1 is still sold in stores and the packaging clearly states that the product will not function with the additional features unless the customer pays the $3 monthly fee. 

In December, Lebak claims that his Ring Video Doorbell 1 was starting to wear out. He alleges that he wanted to replace his Ring Video Doorbell 1 and was also considering purchasing a second camera which would monitor his backyard.

Ringing Ring doorbellWhen he went to the store to purchase another Ring product, he saw that the Ring Video Doorbell 2 was being offered for a price of $152.99, which was on sale compared to the original price of $199.99.

He noted that the box for the Ring Video Doorbell 2 did not indicate anywhere on the box that he would have to pay $3 per month to access the video recording, playback and snapshot features.

After purchasing the Ring Video Doorbell 2, he brought the product home and started to set it up.

Lebak says it was only then that he was prompted to enroll in the Protect Plan for $3 per month or $30 yearly in order to access the additional features that he wanted.

“In order to utilize the Ring Video Doorbell 2 for its intended purpose (and for the purpose for which Mr. Lebak purchased the product), Mr. Lebak was forced to sign up for the Protect Plan, and has been paying Defendant $30 per year…to access that product’s necessary and crucial video recording, playback and snapshot capabilities,” the Ring class action lawsuit says.

This was not the first lawsuit that has been filed against Ring. In February of this year, a class action lawsuit was filed against the company by consumers who claim that the home security systems are susceptible to hackers.

Did you purchase a Ring Video Doorbell not knowing that you would have to pay additional money to access certain features? Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiff is represented by Daniel M. Hattis, Che Corrington, and Paul Karl Lukacs of Hattis & Lukacs and Stephen DeNittis and Shane T. Prince of DeNittis Osefchen and Prince PC.

The Ring Extra Features Class Action Lawsuit is Daniel F. Lebak v. Ring LLC, Case No. 2:20-cv-00603, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

UPDATE: The TCA Ring Doorbell Subscription Fee Investigation is now open! If you purchased a Ring product at a retail store and subscribed to a Ring Protection Plan, submit your information here!

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


718 thoughts onRing Class Action Claims Unfair Protection Fees

  1. Kay Bishop says:

    Please add me to this law suit. I was never informed about a charge. I have now been cut off from viewing my history of events.

1 67 68 69

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. By submitting your comment and contact information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Top Class Actions regarding this and/or similar lawsuits or settlements, and/or to be contacted by an attorney or law firm to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you if you qualify. Required fields are marked *

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.