Ring Video Doorbell Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Hidden Subscription Fees

In order to access all of the Ring video doorbell features, users are forced to pay a monthly service fee, a new class action lawsuit claims.

The class action lawsuit claims the maker of the online security system unfairly hides a monthly service fee from buyers, even though the system is rendered useless if customers do not pay the fee.

Lead plaintiffs Brandon Jack and Jean Alda bought two different Ring doorbell security camera systems, costing about $450, in 2017. Nowhere on the box were buyers alerted a monthly subscription would be required, they said. 

The initial complaint alleges this contrasts with the first line of Ring video doorbell security cameras sold in stores. “Ring Video Doorbell 1,” as it is named in the initial complaint, was introduced to the public in 2013 and is still sold in physical stores for about $100. 

According to the Ring Doorbell class action lawsuit, that product’s box clearly notifies shoppers the Ring video doorbell requires a $3 a month fee to access its online streaming features. 

“The fact that such notice and disclosure was expressly placed by Defendant on the outside of the sealed box of the Ring Video Doorbell 1 — a product which is still being sold today — shows that Defendant considered this information to be material to consumers …,” the class action lawsuit says. 

Jack and Alda allege this fee information should be clear on all of the Ring video doorbell security systems because it’s “nothing more than an expensive electronic alternative to looking out one’s window” without the ability to record or pull up video. 

These features are essential to the Ring video doorbell’s value, Jack and Alda argue, and are a major reason people buy them. 

Beyond pricing issues, Ring customers in another class action lawsuit against the company claim it violates privacy and has been known to provide data to law enforcement agencies. 

Do you own a Ring video doorbell security camera system? What do you think of the monthly price charged to see video recordings? Let us know what you think of the pricing and the class action lawsuit in the comments below. 

Counsel representing the plaintiffs in this class action lawsuit are Daniel M. Hattis and Paul Karl Lukacs of Hattis & Lukacs, and Stephen DeNittis and Shane T. Prince of Denittis Osefchen Prince PC.

The Ring Doorbell Security Cam Class Action Lawsuit is Brandon Jack, et al. v. Ring LLC, Case No. 3:21-cv-00544, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. 

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