Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty has been sued for $1.2 million as the brand was recently accused of misleading customers.
According to Paper Magazine, the lawsuit claimed that Savage X Fenty defrauded customers by automatically enrolling them into the company’s $49.95 Xtra VIP Plan. The suit, filed by Santa Clara County and four other California local governments, also alleged that the Savage X Fenty website didn’t ask for customers’ consent before automatically renewing charges. It misled them about its products and improperly advertised the ability to use store credit. As such, the lingerie brand was accused of allegedly violating California’s updated automatic-renewal law.
“Consumers have a right to know upfront what they are paying for and how often. Businesses have a duty to be transparent about their automatic renewal charges,” Santa Clara Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Deng said about the $1.2 million suit in a statement.
The Better Business Bureau had complaints about Savage X Fenty, as the company has reportedly been receiving them since 2020, including from consumer watchdog group Truth In Advertising (TINA).
“After buying two items in the summer, I was continually charged $49.95 monthly for a membership I did not intend to sign up for. By the time I noticed the charge, several months of payment had been extracted. This is clearly a sadly deceptive and predatory membership scheme,” an initial complaint said.
Deng’s statement shared that Savage X Fenty has since “cooperated with the investigation and has made changes to its website, automatic renewal notices, and its store credit and advertising practices.” The brand would be paying $1 million in civil penalties for the settlement. It would additionally pay $50,000 in investigative costs and $150,000 restitution, which would be paid to California VIP members–past or present–who were improperly enrolled in a VIP membership. Those who canceled their membership and didn’t receive a refund would reportedly be receiving some money.
Rihanna first launched Savage X Fenty in 2018 and opened its first pop-up shop during New York Fashion Week.
