Recently we shared the (horrible) news that FuelRod swaps would no longer be free. Starting November 1, swapping a FuelRod will cost $3 per swap.
And it appears, we aren’t the ones who were bummed by the news. According to the OC Register, a class action lawsuit has been filed against FuelRod due to the charges.
A California Law Firm has filed the suit against Tricopian Inc. and SaveMeBatteries North America, FuelRod’s parent companies. They are alleging that the FuelRods were sold under the premise of getting unlimited free swapping, and the pending increase is false advertising.
The suit claims that the cost of the FuelRod ($30) is too expensive for the quality of charger received if you also have to pay for swaps. Essentially thousands of guests paid $30 under the premise of receiving unlimited swaps, and the price increase changes the product itself. The article points out that FuelRods themselves are far from the best portable charger on the market. (We like this one! It’s around the same cost as a FuelRod and is much more powerful.)
The firm is seeking a whopping $5 million in damages — and any FuelRod customer could potentially be a plaintiff.
Do you have a FuelRod? What do you think of the update? Let us know in the comments!
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I will definitely join this suit in order to get my money back. I never would have purchased this if I had to pay to swap it at airports.
This will be interesting. On one hand I see the purchasers point that they bought the charger under the premise of free unlimited charges. On the other hand I’m sure somewhere in the purchase process there was a disclaimer that terms can change at any time without notice. Companies do this all the time. hasn’t Disney changed the terms of their tickets many times over the years affecting those who had already purchased them.
This is so stupid. Universal has been charging for their fuel rod swap-outs for ages now. Why isn’t anyone suing them??
I’ve always carried my own back up chargers so I’ve never used these. The picture of the vending machine shows a tablet interface, do you have to agree to “terms” as part of the purchase? Most people never read them, likely there’s an “out” buried in there somewhere.
I completely agree. I just bought one last week and then it changed! Sooo bummed. Especially because now you essentially are required to be on your phone the entire day in the parks!
I agree. How can you sell something by luring people in and making the promise that if you buy this, that you will have free swaps of used to new batteries. Its bologna. Im fairly certain they will win this lawsuit.
I’m confused. Exactly who is suing these companies?
To borrow a phrase from Jurassic Park, a “bloodsucking lawyer” is suing. I guess there weren’t any ambulances to chase that day.
An astute attorney recognized that thousands of people are impacted by this change, collectively known as the “class”. If successful in receiving a settlement, the attorney will receive a nice cut. So now FuelRod’s attorneys will assess if the suit has merit. If the anticipated future earnings are less than the amounts paid out to the class, they will backtrack on this decision.
A resident of Sarasota has engaged a law firm to initiate the class action lawsuit
If the suit is upheld, former customers will find themselves with $30 paperweights. FuelRod will simply leave the business.
I don’t think they will be able to just pack up and leave. They sold a product under false advertisement, and now thousands of people that bought their product, BECAUSE OF THE FREE OFFER, will now have to pay a swap fee. Im betting that they will have to give customers back their money.
You can recharge them on your own, just any other battery pack. So they will still be usable for charging.