Yahoo Click Fraud class action lawsuit

I've been included in the Checkmate Yahoo Class action lawsuit.  I could opt out in some sort of way but  I won't take the effort.  This is the seventh class action lawsuit I've been a member of.   Everyone of them works the same way.  The lawyers walk away with a handsome reward; the target doesn't admit wrongdoing; I get something relatively worthless.

The first one was Nissan.  I bought a car where the seats were supposed to be 100% leather.  Corinthian leather perhaps?  The seats weren't 100% leather.  After the suit, I got a coupon good for $50 off my next Nissan car.  Great.  Lawyers get money; I get a marketing device that Nissan would probably do anyway.

In this Yahoo case, the lawyers fees are set just under $5 million.  I'm sure that's what Yahoo considers the "just go away" dollar amount.  Their letter assures me that "The amount paid for attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs will be paid by Yahoo! and so will not diminish or affect any Credits which Class Members may receive."  That sounds like a rea estate agent telling me that all the selling costs are paid for by the seller, so it doesn't cost the buyer anything.

I have no knowledge of this particular case, other than remembering that the Yahoo ads were not particularly effective.  But the whole concept of these class action lawsuits is very similar to the marketing concepts of coupons and mail-in rebates.  A business gives away millions of dollars of coupons knowing that the economic friction of people's inertia will keep them from actually using the coupons.  I think it'd be fair to set the lawyers' fees at 5 Million if 100% of the class action members use the coupons or the credits or whatever.  If only 50% use it, they would get half the fee. 

So anyway, Yahoo, I won't be challenging the clicks or applying for partial refunds or asking for credits or using the coupons or whatever.  There's too much friction.  And the lawyers know it.

Comments

[Nabeel]

hmmm the nissan reward was just stupidd and is a scam itself. And as far as Yahoo is concerned .. they have been known for click fraud. they did the same with the company i work form .. but when we contacted our lawyers .. Yahoo gave apologized and gave back our credit.