A federal judge upheld one woman’s standing to sue Angie’s List, a consumer-review site, for unfair business practices and breach of contract. According to the judge, the woman brought a fair argument for a potential class action lawsuit.
Janell Moore claims that Angie’s list failed to disclose information about its advertising policies, specifically policies that allow customers to influence the sites ratings by paying more.
According to Moore’s suit, Angie’s List entices local consumers to pay for allegedly unfiltered business reviews. In reality, Moore alleged, Angie’s List profits from influencing this information.
Moore began paying for Angie’s List services three years ago. Since then, Angie’s List allegedly misled her with skewed rankings and violated Federal Trade Commission specifications and Pennsylvania consumer laws.
In the suit, Moore points out that Angie’s List claims to be a “passive conduit” for consumer reviews; its membership agreement even says rankings are based on actual consumer experiences. In reality, service providers can influence rankings by paying fees.
To read more about the suit, click here.
Richard M. Golomb, , David J. Stanoch, and Kenneth J. Grunfeld of Golomb Legal PC. represent Moore.