Wayfair sued for allegedly advertising fake discounts

Wayfair class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Rebeka Rodriguez sued Wayfair LLC, doing business as www.wayfair.com.
• Why: Rodriguez claims Wayfair advertises fictitious regular prices and corresponding phantom discounts on products sold through its website.
• Where: The Wayfair class action lawsuit was filed in California state court.

A new class action lawsuit accuses Wayfair of advertising fictitious regular prices and corresponding phantom discounts on products sold through its website.

Plaintiff Rebeka Rodriguez filed the class action complaint against Wayfair in California state court, alleging violations of state consumer laws.

She alleges in the lawsuit that Wayfair advertises fictitious regular prices and corresponding phantom discounts on products sold through its website. This practice allows Wayfair to fabricate a fake “reference price” and present the actual price as “discounted” when it is not, Rodriguez explains.

She claims this results in a “sham price disparity” that is illegal under California law.

Wayfair customers misled into thinking they are getting a bargain, plaintiff alleges

On May 12, Rodriguez purchased a Weather Resistant Rabbit Hutch from Wayfair for the “discounted” price of $159.99, which Wayfair compared to a “strike-through” reference price of $269.99, the class action says.

The reference price was not the “prevailing market price” in the 90 days preceding the purchase, Rodriguez claims. For the 90 days preceding Rodriguez’s purchase and beyond, Wayfair was offering the exact same product for a discounted price with a similar “phantom discount,” she argues.

These pricing and advertising practices reflecting high-pressure fake sales are deceptive, Rodriguez claims.

They are intended to mislead customers into believing they are getting a bargain by buying products from Wayfair on sale and at a substantial and deep discount, she says.

“The reference price is, therefore, an artificially inflated price. In turn, the advertised discounts are nothing more than phantom markdowns,” the Wayfair class action says.

As a result, Rodriguez claims she and other customers bought products they never would have bought, or at the very least, paid more for merchandise than they otherwise would have if Wayfair was simply being truthful about its “sales.”

Rodriguez is looking to represent anyone who purchased any product from Wayfair’s website while in California within the statute of limitations period at a purported discount from a higher reference price.

She is suing for violations of California’s False Advertising Law and the Consumers Legal Remedies Act and is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Meanwhile, multiple class action lawsuits were recently filed against companies accused of using fake sale prices to mislead consumers into believing they were getting better deals than they were. The companies include From You Flowers, Comfrt, Nood, Hot Topic and Sunglass Hut.

What do you think of the allegations made in this Wayfair class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Scott J. Ferrell and Victoria C. Knowles of Pacific Trial Attorneys APC.

The Wayfair class action lawsuit is Rodriguez v. Wayfair LLC, Case No. 2:25-cv-06910, in the Superior Court for the State of California, County of Los Angeles.

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