Google Tags Class Action Lawsuit

A federal class action lawsuit claims Google duped businesses and consumers by offering free trials of the now-defunct “Google Tags” ad service, and then charged for it.

Google Tags was an online feature that was designed to enhance the appeal of a business and more effectively promote the services for that business online. However, “Google knowingly and repeatedly deceived business owners and consumers across the nation by luring them into signing up for a supposedly ‘free’ trial of Google Tags,” the class action lawsuit states.

“In offering this promotion to businesses in simple and straightforward language, Google gave these merchants every reason to believe that they could try Google Tags without financial risk or obligation. This service, as consumer learned the hard way, turned out to be anything but free,” the Google Tags class action lawsuit states.

Merchants were told they could try Google Tags for free for 30 days as long as they cancelled prior to the end of the 30-day free trial. However, Google charged merchants during the 30-day period and then claimed that the trial offer “consisted merely of a $25 discount off the total price of the service,” the Google Tags class action lawsuit says.

“Making matters worse, many consumers have discovered that they cannot remove their credit card information from Google’s billing system – even though Google Tags was abolished in early 2011. In addition, Google has refused to delete the credit card information associated with each of these merchants’ accounts” in violation of California law, placing them at “a heightened risk of identity theft, fraud and catastrophic loss.”

The Google Tags class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of all consumers nationwide who signed up for a free 30-day trial of Google Tags and who were nonetheless charged for their use of the tags during this period. It is also seeking to represent a second class of these consumers whose credit card information was retained by Google after their accounts were closed.

The Google Tags class action lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages, prejudgment interest, court costs and attorneys’ fees.

A copy of the Google Tags Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.

The case is Rachel Frezza, et al. v. Google, Inc., Case No. 12-cv-0237, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.