A judge in Cook County has this week decided to dismiss a proposed class action lawsuit against Coffee Meets Bagel.
The dating app was accused of refusing to issue refunds for cancelled consumer subscriptions – a potential violation of fraud law in Illinois.
A technicality proved crucial in the case, however; plaintiff Pandi Rrapo only claimed that he was unable to receive a refund, rather than arguing that he wanted to receive one.
According to Judge Anna Loftus, this meant that the claim could not give rise to actual damages under the Illinois Dating Referral Services Act.
Rrapo purchased a $34.99/month membership from Coffee Meets Bagel in October 2018, but felt dissatisfied with the premium interface and tried to cancel his purchase after just three days.
According to Cook County Record, “The plaintiff alleges the defendant failed to expressly state a three-day cancellation policy in their contracts and failed to provide any form of refund to users who cancel their subscription within three days of enrollment.”
In early 2018, eharmony was forced to pay $2.28 Million in Northern California after it was found to have misleading auto-renewal policies.
Of this, $1 million was paid out in restitution to subscribers while $1.28 million was paid in civil penalties.
Read more here.