Vending Machines Charge Hidden Credit Card Fees, Class Action Says

A Georgia resident says Compass Group USA is secretly charging hidden fees to customers who use a credit card to pay for their vending machine treats.

According to plaintiff Anthony Oliver’s class action lawsuit, recently removed to Illinois federal court, the vending machines run by Compass Group don’t allow consumers to decline the fee, and in fact, fails to even disclose the fee at the time of purchase.

Compass Group d/b/a Canteen Services and Canteen Refreshment Services supplies snacks, meals, and beverages using vending machines in a variety of settings, from schools and hospitals, to corporate cafes nationwide.

According to the Compass Group class action lawsuit, items are listed at a certain price within the vending machine; however, for consumers using a credit card, the company tacks on a surcharge.

“Defendant fails to honor the specific prices listed for its products on its vending machines and automatically assesses a credit card surcharge on all of the products purchased from its vending machines using a credit card,” alleges the vending machine class action lawsuit.

Oliver says that he and other consumers rely on the pricing presented within the vending machine, but when using a credit card, he and others were charged a hidden fee not apparent until after the transaction.

According to the vending machine class action complaint, the plaintiff thought he had purchased two drinks at $1.25 each using his credit card at a Compass Group USA vending machine. However, he says that when he checked his billing statement he discovered that a $.10 charge had been added to each item.

“Nowhere on the machine, or at any point during the purchase process, did Defendant disclose that credit card users would be charged an additional surcharge or that Plaintiff would be charged $1.35 rather than $1.25,” alleges the vending machine hidden fee class action lawsuit.

The plaintiff alleges that he and others would not have purchased items from the Compass Group vending machines had they been aware of the fee for using a credit card. Alternatively, says the class action lawsuit, consumers could have chosen a different way to pay to avoid the hidden fee.

“Plaintiff and the other members did not receive the benefit of the bargain when they purchased food and drink products from Defendant’s vending machines that were not sold to them for the price explicitly offered by Defendant,” argues the vending machine hidden fee class action lawsuit.

The Compass Group vending machine hidden fee class action lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide Class of consumers who used a credit card to make a purchase from a Compass Group vending machine, along with an Illinois subclass.

The plaintiff is seeking actual or compensatory damages.

Oliver is represented by Eugene Y. Turin of McGuire Law PC.

The Vending Machine Hidden Fee Class Action Lawsuit is Oliver v. Compass Group USA Inc., Case No. 1:18-cv-05998, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.