An Illinois resident has sued Logitech over its Alert home video security system that the company sold between 2010 and 2014, claiming the Swiss-based company indulged in false advertising, discouraged warranty claims for defective products and hid an end-of-life announcement from customers.
The man, James Anderson of Orland Park, Illinois, said he was filing the suit both on his behalf and on behalf of all those who had been affected as he claimed to be by defective products, lack of warranties, and not knowing when the product had been taken out of circulation.
"Logitech failed to tell customers that the Alert Systems were defective because the cameras experienced a high rate of failure and the 'powerful' software needed to run the Alert Systems was rife with bugs and glitches that made the systems unreliable and inoperable, thus leaving customers unprotected and at an increased safety risk," the lawsuit says.
"When the defective Alert Systems inevitably failed, Logitech refused to honour its warranties to remedy the defects while customers' warranty periods lapsed, thereby escaping its legal obligations to provide non-defective replacements or refunds.
{loadposition sam08}"And, given the extent of the defects in the Alert Systems and its inability to solve the problems, Logitech finally discontinued the product altogether which left consumers without replacement parts or cameras when their systems inevitably failed."
The suit claims that Logitech's marketing of Alert Systems was false and misleading, and likely to deceive consumers. It added that as a result of Logitech's unlawful business practices, consumers unknowingly invested hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in Alert Systems that are now obsolete and have failed or will fail. "Logitech's conduct violates consumer protection and warranty laws," the suit says.
Anderson's lawsuit details the claims that Logitech made about its Alert systems, offering consumers "peace of mind in a box" and offering "powerful Windows and Mac software, a free remote viewing account and simple plug-and-play installation without new wiring".
The company's advertising also extended to claiming that a customer who had been robbed in the past was able to prevent a second theft in real-time when he used Logitech's system.
The suit lists some of the complaints that customers made on Logitech's forums, which covered difficulties in installing and setting up the Alert systems; encountering systems that would not turn on, or stay powered on and refuse to record or download video properly; connectivity problems; overheating components; inoperable or faulty motion sensors; delayed and failed alerts; and software glitches that led to unreliable and inoperable systems.
The suit also claims that while Logitech decided to discontinue the Alert system in 2012, this was publicly disclosed only two years later.
Anderson has sought equitable relief including restitution, disgorgement of profits that Logitech made by selling the Alert system, and a permanent injunction that prevents Logitech from indulging in similar practices again, plus costs.