FTC Mailing Refund Checks to Consumers Who Bought Misrepresented LED Bulbs

The FTC is mailing 499,105 checks totaling more than $14.4 million to people who bought Lights of America brand LED light bulbs, saying the company overstated light output and life expectancy. The FTC sued Lights of America, Usman Vakil and Farooq Vakil for “violating federal law by overstating the light output and life expectancy of their LED bulbs, and falsely comparing the brightness of their LED bulbs with that of other light bulbs,” said the FTC. A U.S. District Court ordered the defendants to pay $21 million to the FTC to provide refunds and banned them from misrepresenting “material facts about lighting products.” People who bought Lights of America LED light bulbs between 2007 and 2011, and do not receive a check, can apply for a refund at www.ftc.gov/lights, it said. The deadline to apply for a refund is Oct. 26; the average check amount is $28.86.