California residents surprised by YouTube account fees appearing on their bank statements might be getting some cash back.
The San Bruno-based company owned by Google agreed to a $7.5-million settlement in a class action lawsuit that alleged the company violated California’s automatic renewal law when renewing YouTube TV subscriptions.
In the suit, the plaintiff alleged that they did not provide all necessary disclosures before automatically renewing users’ subscriptions.
In order for customers to receive a payout, they must have enrolled in and paid for at least one renewal term of a YouTube TV subscription between Feb. 1, 2017, and Oct. 29, 2021, and lived in California when they renewed.
Customers are also only eligible if they bought their subscription directly from YouTube, not through the Apple App Store.
Those eligible are estimated to receive a $92.26 payout.
To submit a claim, users must provide an email address or phone number linked to the YouTube TV account and the login ID and PIN from the settlement notice they received.
The deadline for claims is Aug. 30.
Strengthened regulations surrounding automated subscription renewals in California went into effect last July.
Also known as the “Click-to-Cancel” law, companies must obtain express affirmative consent from customers to renew, make key renewal terms conspicuous, allow customers to cancel the subscription through the same means they used to sign up and send reminders of upcoming renewals.
“With the increasing number of online businesses offering subscriptions, it is important to ensure that businesses are acting transparently and that consumers have the power to manage and cancel these subscriptions more easily,” said Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta in a statement last year.
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