FTD class action claims company uses ‘bait-and-switch’ pricing scheme

FTD class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Mayo Inoue filed a class action lawsuit against FTD LLC.
• Why: Inoue claims FTD uses a deceptive and illegal bait-and-switch pricing scheme to charge consumers a surprise fee.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court.

A new class action lawsuit claims FTD LLC uses a deceptive and illegal bait-and-switch pricing scheme to charge consumers a surprise fee.

Plaintiff Mayo Inoue filed the class action complaint against FTD LLC on Jan. 29 in an Illinois federal court, claiming violations of state and federal consumer laws.

According to the lawsuit, the company systematically cheats consumers out of millions of dollars annually by employing a deceptive and illegal bait-and-switch pricing scheme.

Inoue claims FTD fails to transparently disclose the full cost of floral arrangements and gift item delivery offered through its e-commerce platform.

FTD adds $19.99 ‘surprise fee’ to every order, lawsuit says

The company instead adds on a previously undisclosed “surprise fee” of $19.99 to every product purchased, regardless of order size and recipient location, the FTD class action says.

FTD springs the consumer with the surprise fee right before the buyer finalizes the transaction, the FTD pricing lawsuit says.

Inoue alleges the fee, labeled as a “delivery fee,” is a junk fee that FTD does not disclose to consumers at any point prior to the final stage of the transaction. He claims that in fact, FTD lures consumers into purchasing the delivery of floral arrangements and/or other gift items from its website by advertising artificially low prices for their service while hiding the $19.99 surprise fee, according to the FTD pricing lawsuit.

Only at the latest point in checkout does FTD — for the first time — list a total amount that includes the surprise fee of $19.99, after consumers have already engaged in a lengthy, multi-step process, the lawsuit says.

Inoue seeks to represent anyone who purchased a floral arrangement and/or other gift delivery from FTD within the applicable statute of limitations. She is suing for violations of state and federal consumer laws and seeks certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Meanwhile, another recent class action lawsuit alleges that Bank of America engaged in deceptive business practices by failing to honor the terms of a credit card offer. 

What do you think of the claims in this FTD pricing lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Bryan Paul Thompson of Clarkson Law Firm P.C.

The FTD class action lawsuit is Mayo Inoue v. FTD LLC, Case No. 1:25-cv-01016, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

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