This Class Action Lawsuit Will Help You Get Money Back If You Bought eBooks in Canada
Calling all eBook worms!👇
A courthouse in Vancouver. Right: An ereader on the beach.
If you opted to buy fewer physical books and more eBooks in the last decade, you could find yourself with a bit of extra cash in your pocket soon.
A successful class action lawsuit against Apple, as well as a slew of eBooks publishing companies, means that if you bought yourself a book between April 1, 2010, and March 10, 2017, you might be entitled to some money.
The class action was started by a group who alleged that the price of eBooks between those two dates was artificially inflated. This means that the companies conspired to charge more than what the products were worth.
So, now that the lawsuit has been settled, those affected by the alleged price fixing could be subject to some compensation.
While it is yet to be approved by the Ontario and Quebec courts, the proposed settlement amount is $12,000,000, which will go out to those affected.
We'll know if this is the set amount by November 30 in Ontario and December 14 in Quebec.
The exact figure going out to individuals will be calculated based on their purchase history which will be provided by Apple or a similar ebook retailer.
If you bought an eBook through Apple or a similar retailer between those dates, you're automatically included in the action.
If one of these companies doesn't have your info, your payout will be calculated by approved claims you make through the claims administrator of the lawsuit.
Once those claims are set up, you can expect a simple etransfer to the email address on file with the retailer or the lawsuit – if you're claiming amounts through them.
You can, if you want, opt out of the suit by going to the class action's website by November 11 of this year.
This isn't the only class action lawsuit that saw Canadians cashing out this year. Tim Horton's settled one after it was alleged that its app was collecting data from users even when they weren't using the app.
To atone, the coffee giant offered to give its customers a free donut and a coffee, which faced a bit of a backlash as many thought it wasn't an appropriate settlement in return for violating privacy.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.