Class action quebec: Reimbursed by Netflix after a settlement out of court

Philippe Orfali

Saturday, 13 January, 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Saturday, 13 January, 2018 01:00

Look at this article

Netflix may have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to customers in Quebec because of an agreement between the broadcast service and the authors of a collective action.

Have you subscribed to Netflix to take advantage of a free trial… before you see the company charge you automatically once the promotion is finished ? In this case, you may be entitled to a refund.

Quebec consumers who are subscribers to the Netflix service between 4 July 2013 and 17 July 2017, who have enjoyed a free trial, and then saw Netflix put themselves in charge have been successful.

Netflix is one of the 25 companies covered by this class action, but the first to reach an agreement with its authors.

It is for the moment a proposal for the agreement, which must be approved by the justice, says Me Joey Zukran, which represents those who have brought the action. The hearing is scheduled for April 24, next.

It is not known exactly how many clients could be covered by this agreement, and the amounts of money financial that this could represent. Netflix would be at least a million subscribers in Quebec.

“What was important for us is that Netflix is changing its way of proceeding. We are satisfied, ” said the lawyer. The company has put an end in Quebec to his practice, which was to combine free trials to an auto-renewal.

At least one other use

The company is covered by at least one other class action, still in Quebec, for its subscription.

A notice sent this summer by Netflix informing its customers of an upcoming increase in the price of subscription, would have contravened the Act on the protection of the consumer.

The notice did not mention the old price of the subscription and the right of the user to terminate his subscription.

The lawyers of Netflix have not responded to the request for interview to the Newspaper, yesterday.