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A class action lawsuit that alleges Google’s Google Play gift cards violate California law by being too difficult to redeem should be tossed out, or at the least moved to the correct district, the tech giant says.
Google urged a California federal court to dismiss the class action lawsuit, which was filed in February, and added that if the case was to continue, it must be moved to the appropriate court.
According to the company’s terms of service that govern Google Play gift cards, disputes must be resolved in the federal or state courts of Santa Clara County, in the Northern District of California, Law360 reports. The current class action lawsuit was filed in the Central District.
Google Play gift card holders Henk Meyers and Glenn Goza, the lead Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, say that Google’s security system makes it almost impossible for holders of authentic gift cards to redeem their purchases or gifts.
Gift card holders are required to fill out a form saying when and where the gift card was purchased, and provide receipts documenting the purchase, requests that are difficult for many gift card holders – especially those who received the cards as a gift, Meyers and Goza say.
“Google’s arbitrary barriers to redemption likely dissuaded many gift card holders from redeeming their cards, either because they lacked the information requested or found it too burdensome,” Meyers said in the claim.
According to the claim, Google also uses an algorithm in its security system that often flags authentic gift cards as suspicious, invalidating them.
Meyers and Goza say that Google is violating California law with these practices, as the law requires gift card issuers to ensure cards are redeemable in cash for the value or can be replaced at no cost to the buyer or holder.
“As a result of its practices, Google was able to pocket the funds spent on Google Play gift cards that should have been redeemable by these card holders,” Meyers said.
However, Google says that the California law governing gift certificates doesn’t affect Google Play gift cards. The company says that its Google Play gift cards are within the law’s exception for gift cards as they are redeemable with multiple sellers.
“Because Google Play gift cards are usable to purchase from multiple sellers, Google could not, as a matter of law, violate California’s gift certificate law,” Google said, adding the claims by Meyers and Goza lacked merit.
Meyers and Goza want to represent anyone nationwide who had a Google Play gift card denied by the company.
Google is also facing another class action lawsuit, that alleges that the tech giant engages in illegal, omnipresent surveillance of people’s lives, in a way much worse than George Orwell imagined in his classic science fiction book 1984. Salvatore Toronto, a Google account holder, alleges the Internet giant continues to violate privacy laws, even after a record $170 million privacy settlement in 2019.
Have ever had any issues redeeming a Google Play gift card? Let us know in the comments section!
The gift card holders are represented by Richard D. McCune, David C. Wright and Elaine S. Kusel of McCune Wright Arevalo LLP.
Google is represented by Michelle C. Doolin, Whitty Somvichian and Sharon Song of Cooley LLP.
The Google Play Gift Card Class Action Lawsuit is Meyers v. Alphabet Inc. et al., Case No. 2:21-cv-01767, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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91 thoughts onGoogle Says That Lawsuit Claiming Gift Cards Are Too Hard to Redeem Should Be Tossed Out
I purchased a $50 Google play gift card by email from Amazon. I had problems redeeming the code. I filled out the support form for help and worked on this problem for almost a week. I thought, maybe, there is a problem with the card. By the way, I did contact Amazon but they said I needed to contact Google support. I was so flustered. I bought a Google play gift card from 7-Eleven for $25 and ran into the same problem. I can’t redeem the codes. Google should have documentation on both gift cards because I did fill out the support form for both cards. Thus, I lost $75. I tried again to redeem both gift cards as of today with no success. Google, you should be ashame of yourself. There are too many people having problems with your cards. You know this! Lastly, I want to join the class action lawsuit. I want my money back and will gladly produce proof.
I got my kids both gift cards for their stocking, just $10 each, one worked, one didn’t, I don’t have the receipt, so I say, okay, my bad, should have kept that. I’ll get the other kid a $10 digital PayPal gift card. We input it, same error. I submit all the info. Two days later, case is still pending, I contact them, they say it will be 7 days for a decision. At this point, this is bullshit. I’m only out $20, but reading all these comments is pissing me off.
Google is Google is Google! How does Google legally have a leg to stand on?? The Google Play gift cards should be Used at any Google Store items. This is Evil Megastore Tactics. Consumers must fight back. Until this legally changes, thought should be given to boycotting .Everything Google.
I bought a $200 and a $50 card and same thing I filled the forms out and they say cannot be appealed. And they are non refundable and non transferable..with no one to help. I want to sue them
I have gotten scammed at a pilot truck stop I bought one for $75.00 and went to redeem it said send us more info I sent the pics of the front & back of the card and the receipt. Clear pics of them. They denied it done it over & over again same thing. I even sent them photos of my state id to prove who I was. Still didn’t do it. So I thought okay it must be a pilot store thing maybe. So I started only buying them at dollar general so I went one dollar general bought a $25 dollar in a town close to my hometown the same happened over & over again. Got the receipt & the card still to. And then I waited a few months went to my hometown dollar general bought a $50 dollar same shit. It acknowledges that the cards are the amounts and says it’s gonna add it to my email. But then stops and goes to need more info. So I repeat the process never got my money. So I tried calling the number on the back for customer service but due to covid they no longer have people for you to talk to it tells you to go back online and here you go again. So one day I read something about you can chat live with a representative online so I hit that button it says send all the pics and receipts again so I did to her then she tells me that Google has locked them due to a security issue for me to go back to the same site I been sending them pics of the cards and receipts again. Then come back to chat I’m like I just sent you all that why do I need to send them yet again. So I done it anyway like she directed but when I got done the whole chat had been closed. Isn’t that convenient. I used to spend at least $600 to $800 every month on them cards. Now I don’t waste my money time or energy. I can’t afford to keep handing my hard earned dollars away to multi national trillion or more dollar company. It’s bull crap for them to do that to their customers they make enough money off us already that they shouldn’t have to screw their customers. So I’m going to try to get a lawsuit going or join a law suit against them for mine. I have the receipts and cards
2023 AND IT’S STILL HAPPENING PEOPLE, WE NEED TO SUE THIS DAMN COMPANY FOR STEALING MONEY LIKE THIS, THIS IS NOT OKAY!
I got a Google play gift card a week ago and I can’t redeem it very upset with this
I bought a googleplay play gift card 1/2/23 for 100.00 dollars and can’t redeem it
I purchased a $200.00 Google play gift card on the 23rd of December 2022. I am being ignored or passed to different names of the company answering and providing proof of purchase over and over and over again. They seem very comfortable in demanding answers to the same questions without giving me any resolution as to where my money is.
Bought a $40 gift card in Colorado. Same issue
They do this even if you do manage to redeem it! I bought a gift card with cash at the store over a month ago and everything seemed fine and it went through. I was using a little bit over time and suddenly I can’t use it anymore because of this. It’s a one-time use code and it went through so I naively thought all was in order and threw it out. My partner also threw out the receipt, sadly. So I got short-changed by Google and can’t even get in contact with someone who can help me. I even held onto to the thing for a while before I threw it away and of course they take their sweet time to ban me! I can’t even try to request a receipt from the store since I paid in cash. Why is there no alternative way to get around this??
Going through this right now! Bought 3-$15 dollar gift cards in a pack from Walmart. Only one of the three worked. For the other two, they requested more information but quickly sent a reply once the information was given to them, saying that they were not eligible for redemption. I email them the same information every day. Will keep it up. This is such a rip off!!! Super upset of this! These 3 cards were in the same pack, and Google only let one be redeemed. Makes me sick. Will be minimizing everything Google related in my life now. Have been a huge Google fan until now.
Same thing happend to me!! I am really upset as I don’t have much money and wanted to get a gift for my close one