A new class-action lawsuit has been filed against the manufacturer of FuelRod, just after new swap fees were announced for the rechargeable battery kiosks at Walt Disney World Resort.
This lawsuit, filed by the Law Office of Carey, Danis & Lowe, accuses Tricopian, Inc. (FuelRod’s parent company) and related parties of breach of contract, violation of the California Unfair Competition Law, violation of the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and false and misleading advertising.
In layman’s terms, the named plaintiff, Tyler Veasey of Sarasota, Fla., and those who join the suit, are seeking damages and related costs stemming from FuelRod’s change from unlimited, free battery swaps to a pay-per-swap model.
According to the lawsuit, this “unlimited, free swaps” guarantee was a large part of the company’s marketing and was the primary benefit of purchasing a FuelRod. Because of the change to charge per swap, the plaintiff and those in the suit feel as though they now have a lesser-than product that they would not have purchased at all or would have rather purchased at a lower price.
According to the case filing, FuelRods fall short of the normal quality in comparison to other portable chargers: the batteries are “rated at only 2600 mAh (milli-Ampere-hours), meaning that they are unable to even deliver a single complete charge to a modern generation smartphone,” which has an internal battery “between 2700 and 3300 mAh.” As for charging speed, portable batteries are rated “between 1 and 2.4 A (amps),” with the higher number meaning a higher charging speed. FuelRods are “on the low end of that spectrum, charging a single device at 1 A.”
We reached out to FuelRod for a statement on the lawsuit, but have not heard back as of the time of this publishing.
According to James J. Rosemergy, Esq. of Carey, Danis & Lowe, if there is a positive outcome for the lawsuit, “anyone impacted will have the opportunity to participate whether they have formally joined the suit or not.”
8 comments
I don’t see this going anywhere.
You must not live in California. Strongest consumer protection laws in the world by far.
I love it !Hey how do I add my name to this lawsuit.lol I wouldnt have bought them either but the free swaps sold me..
I fully support this. I bought one with the understanding I could swap it forever. That was the sales pitch. How do we join this suit?
I have several of these and enjoy using them. I think it’s a good idea, and obviously he has made money on it (guessing). But you can’t change the business model in the middle of the 4th quarter.
How do I join this lawsuit? Tired of being “done over” Would never have bought the darned thing 2 or 3 years ago. total greed.
Universal Studios Florida charges $3 per swap.
I wish to join this also as i purchased it with the understanding it was unlimited swapping for free