Washington – A Minnesota woman has filed suit against LivingSocial,
claiming the daily deals service violates federal and state laws that prohibit
the sale of gift certificates with expiration dates, Bloomberg reported.
According to the complaint, which is seeking class-action status,
"LivingSocial and its retail partners bank on the fact that consumers
often will not redeem ‘livingsocial’ gift certificates before the limited
expiration period. Therefore, many consumers are left with nothing, despite
having already paid for the particular service or product."
Though
LivingSocial has yet to officially respond, the company’s terms and conditions
— as stated on its website — would seem to refute the claims.
The company’s
rules state if the expiration of a voucher is prohibited under state or local
laws, then "the promotional portion of the voucher will expire on the date
printed on the voucher, and the paid portion of the voucher will expire five
years from the date the voucher is issued, except to the extent applicable law
requires that the merchant extend the period."
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/3ke37lm
(Bloomberg)
