A Missouri man has filed a class-action lawsuit against Bass Pro Shops and is asking for a jury trial and $5 million in damages over socks.
Yes, socks.
Kent Slaughter of Springfield was lured in by the exciting promise of a lifetime guarantee on socks. Bass Pro probably didn't expect anyone actually to use that very generous warranty, but Slaughter has been coming in year after year, for the better part of a decade, exchanging his worn-out socks for a fresh pair.
He had a good run until the company changed its policy in 2021.
Too bad no one told Bass Pro's #1 sock customer about the change...
Slaughter came in, like any other normal day, to exchange four pairs of his dirty old socks for new ones but was horrified to be told those socks only carried a 60-day warranty.
They must pay for this.
Slaughter is claiming Bass Pro is refusing to honor a lifetime warranty and filed a lawsuit earlier this month.
From Springfield News-Leader:
According to the lawsuit, between 2014 and 2021, Slaughter purchased a total of 12 socks from the Bass Pro superstore in Springfield. It says Slaughter returned multiple pairs of socks starting in 2015 and got a no-charge exchange under the lifetime warranty. But according to Slaughter, things changed in 2021 when he attempted to return four pairs of socks. The suit says he was told that the store clerk could not assist with the exchange. Eventually he was given the distinctively-marked 60-day socks.
The lawsuit alleges that Bass Pro designs, manufactures, markets, advertises, and sells the product with the following statements displayed: "The last sock you'll ever need to buy."
Slaughter stated in the lawsuit that the lifetime warranty was a major factor in his sock-buy decisions.
"This lawsuit is about one simple principle: a corporation's obligation to tell consumers the truth. Bass Pro Shop made a promise to its customers when it offered its RedHead socks with a lifetime guarantee. Those words should mean something," according to a statement that Singleton Schreiber, the California-based law firm representing Slaughter, sent to The Washington Post.
Does he have a case here?
Should Bass Pro have known better than to promise a lifetime warranty to one of the most flimsy and overburdened pieces of clothing?
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