Apple is being sued – again. That phrase has been used more with Apple than any other company I can really think of, really. This time is it coming from three people in Massachusetts, however, and not another corporation suing out of jealousy of Apple’s success (looking at you, Samsung).
According to plaintiffs Adam Christensen, Jeffrey Scolnick, and William Farrell, Apple required them to input their ZIP codes when purchasing from an Apple Store, which in their opinion violates the Massachusetts Unfair Trade Practices Act. This act states that companies can only require customers to provide information that is needed for credit card companies to verify a purchase.
That’s not all, however. Also according to the lawsuit is that Apple is not only collecting these ZIP codes, but that it is selling them. The plaintiffs then go on to claim that marketing material was then sent to them for providing a ZIP code. For all of these “damages,” the plaintiffs are asking $75 per violation, and interest on that amount, as well as payment for legal fees.
I’m not sure about you, but personally this just sounds like people trying to get money. In my experience, ZIP code has been required by a credit card company to verify a purchase, as it pertains to billing address which is part of the verification.
Also, why would Apple – a company with billions in its bank accounts – need to sell customer info to make money? This just all seems insane to me. Maybe I’m the only one, who knows.
What do you think? Do you think the plaintiffs are right? Or should the case be easy for Apple? Let us know in the comments
