SALT LAKE CITY — The state of Utah has filed a lawsuit against an online contact lens retailer over deceptive prices that are presented in the company's advertising.
Utah joined the Federal Trade Commission and the Nevada Attorney General in the lawsuit against Lens.com, accusing the company of offering lenses at artificially low prices before charging customers hidden "taxes & fees."
According to the lawsuit, the fees often doubled the prices Lens.com originally advertised and are "buried deep" in the checkout process.
Lens.com was also accused of using deceptive pricing with its automatic refill subscription plan, and failed to "clearly and conspicuously disclose" how to cancel the plan.
"These deceptive pricing practices obscure the total price of contact lenses, preventing customers from determining what they will really pay and thus from being able to compare Lens.com’s prices against competitors’ prices, the complaint further alleges," the Utah Attorney General's Office said.