The Federal Trade Commission this week sued an “online question-and-answer service” and its CEO in a California federal court alleging that they deceived people into a monthly subscription service. According to the FTC, people would come across the service, Just Answer LLC, in an online search, and then the company would lead them to believe that they could join and get access to experts for a $1 or $5 fee. The complaint, redacted in some sections, asserts that hundreds of thousands of consumers complained to JustAnswer that they thought they were going to pay only $1 or $5. They soon would be charged a monthly subscription fee that ranged between $28 and $125, until the consumer becomes aware and cancels their subscription. The Commission alleges that JustAnswer and the CEO Andrew Kurtzig violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act for misrepresentations and deceptive omissions about its negative option subscriptions.
Also, this week, the president nominated David MacNeil, of Florida, to be an FTC commissioner.
