A Trader Joe’s lawsuit settlement means that many customers who purchased from the chain in certain locations can expect a check in the coming months.
According to People, the Trader Joe’s settlement is in response to a lawsuit filed in 2019.
The lawsuit alleged that Trader Joe’s violated an amendment to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA). The issue was that some stores printed 10 digits of the customers’ credit or debit card numbers on the receipts.
The purchases in question were made at certain stores between March 5 and July 19 2019. There does not appear to be a list of those specific stores available.
According to the website Top Class Actions, FACTA requires that merchants omit or limit all digits of credit or debit cards except a maximum of the last five. In addition, the expiration date should not appear on the receipt at all.
The 2019 class action lawsuit was initiated by Brian Keim. He alleged that during that time frame, some Trader Joe’s receipts printed 10 digits from customers’ cards rather than the maximum of 5.
The website pertaining to the Keim v. Trader Joe’s Company lawsuit indicated that the receipts in question included the first six digits of the cards along with the last four. No other identifiable customer information was included on the receipts.
Trader Joe’s “vigorously denies any and all liability or wrongdoing whatsoever” and noted that this issue did not happen at all of its stores.
Despite denying any liability, Trader Joe’s indicated that its insurer “has nonetheless concluded that further litigation would be protracted and expensive, and has taken into account the uncertainty and risks inherent in this litigation, and has determined that it is desirable that the litigation be fully, completely, and finally settled in the matter.”
What does this mean for Trader Joe’s customers?
The proposed settlement fund is $7.4 million. Those who want to file a claim need to do so by June 9. As People noted, the payouts are estimated to be in the amount of $102.45 for each qualifying claim.
Those who have a Class ID number can submit their claim via the settlement website or by phone. According to KARE 11, Class ID numbers were sent, via email or mail, to some people who were determined to potentially have been affected.
Those who do not have a Claim ID number can print a claim form from the settlement website. They will need to submit the first six and last four digits of the card used, as well as the purchase date.
To file a claim for the lawsuit settlement, Trader Joe’s customers have several options available to them.
- Online: Visit www.TJ-FACTASettlement.com
- By phone: Call 1-888-444-7415
- By mail: Send a completed claim form to: Keim v. Trader Joe’s Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 301134, Los Angeles, CA, 90030-1134
An August 10 court hearing is scheduled to review and approve the settlement. Checks to those with approved claims will be sent out after that.
