If you purchased a Vizio smart TV in the past several years, you might be entitled to a cash payment from the settlement of a class action lawsuit against the “value” TV brand for allegedly spying on users without proper authorization.
The class action portion of the complaint recently received court approval, and cash may be waiting for you if you act quickly — You must make your claim by April 29, 2019.
As we reported right here in October, the motion to settle impacts approximately 16 million Vizio Smart TV users in the U.S. who purchased a Vizio Smart TV and connected the TV to the Internet between Feb. 1, 2014 and Feb. 6, 2017.
The California-based TV maker recently began notifying set owners of the settlement through a message delivered via their smart TVs. Vizio has agreed to a settlement totaling $17 million, and the expected payout ranges from between $13 to $31 per television.
To claim your share of the settlement pot, it is advized you quickly visit the website VizioTVsettlement.com and file a claim.
As previously reported, Vizio was accused by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2015 of collecting data on the usage of their televisions in the home, including what viewers watch, viewer ages, income and marital status. Vizio then had the ability to sell that data to third parties, for targeted advertising and other purposes. This is allegedly all without clearly communicating the policy, the method for turning it off or garnering consent.
In agreeing to a $2.2 million fine to the FTC, and subsequent lawsuit settlement, Vizio did not admit to any wrong doing, and has said that information collection is spelled out in end-user licensing agreements at setup and activation. Further, most manufacturers of so-called smart TVs have similar policies and practices. But it has agreed to take extra steps to make consumers aware of the data collection policy and ask their permission. Vizio also agreed to delete most of the user data that it gathered before March 1, 2016.
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Following the FTC case, disgruntled Vizio customers came together to file a class-action lawsuit on the matter in 2016, which is resulting in the pay out to an estimated 16 million customers.
Only one buyer per smart TV in each household is eligible for the award. But it does apply for each qualifying Vizio TV.
To file a claim, the online form requires your name, address, mobile phone number (for digital payments) and email address. It will also ask for your TV’s date of purchase and TV model.
In addition to visiting the lawsuit web site, eligible parties can call the Vizio Settlement Administrator at 877-252-4685.
By Greg Tarr
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