The Walmart supermarket chain is going through a complicated year that is somewhat undermining its international expansion (you saw what happened with the supposed jump to Mexico). However, now consumers have received excellent news, and soon you will be able to receive up to $500 euros if you have shopped there. The reason? A court is about to rule, so we’ll take a look at what’s happening around this class action.
Walmart facing historic class action lawsuit: controversy over what has been discovered
A major class action lawsuit against Walmart has resulted in a settlement that could provide payouts of up to $500 to customers who purchased certain products at Walmart stores. The lawsuit alleged that Walmart overcharged customers by listing net weights on packaged goods that were higher than the actual weight.
Affected products included beef, poultry, pork, fish, deli meats, fruits, and vegetables. Walmart denied any wrongdoing but agreed to settle. The settlement was granted final approval in 2022, paving the way for Walmart customers to file claims for compensation.
It’s estimated that tens of millions of customers could be eligible for payouts between $5 to $500, depending on the number and type of eligible purchases. The lawsuit covers purchases made at Walmart stores, not online, between 2018 and 2024 (including those made during the lockdown).
The case went to court, and this is what the courts are determining about Walmart
A class action lawsuit was filed against Walmart in 2022 alleging the retailer engaged in deceptive pricing practices at checkout in their stores. The plaintiffs claimed that Walmart was incorrectly weighting certain products like fruit and eggs, resulting in overcharges at checkout.
The lawsuit alleged that Walmart programmed its scales to charge more per pound for certain products than what was advertised on shelf price labels. For example, a bag of lemons may have been advertised at $3 per pound, but the scale would charge customers for 1.2 pounds even if the bag only contained 1 pound of lemons.
This resulted in customers paying 20% more than the advertised price. The lawsuit claimed this practice was deceptive and fraudulent, alleging Walmart was essentially manipulating weights to charge customers hidden fees. Walmart denied the allegations, claiming any overcharging was unintentional.
That´s how you can receive up to $500: Walmart class action lawsuit, explained
Walmart has agreed to pay $300 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging the retailer overcharged customers by misrepresenting the weight of pre-packaged products at its stores. The settlement was granted preliminary approval in March 2022.
It applies to all customers who purchased eligible products at Walmart stores between October 2018 and January 2024. Under the terms of the settlement, Walmart will pay $300 million into a fund that will be used to compensate affected customers who file valid claims.
The maximum payout per customer is $500, but the actual amount each person receives depends on the total number of claims filed. Customers are eligible for compensation if they purchased a pre-packaged product by weight at a Walmart store that was improperly labeled.
The $300 million settlement is intended to refund customers for the extra amount they paid due to the misrepresented weights. With millions of customers affected over 7 years, the settlement aims to fairly reimburse shoppers who were overcharged, as justice determined.
What is clear, at this point, is that Walmart class action lawsuit is going through a period of uncertainty that goes far beyond the reflection with which we began the article. What is certain is that this class action may be just the beginning of a series of chain claims that buyers’ associations want to bring before the courts and that could make you recover even more money, although this is only speculation.
