Monday is the last day to sign up for $2 million Panera settlement: See if you qualify
You can still get a cut of the $2 million Panera Bread agreed to pay out to customers in February, but you must act fast.
The bakery-café fast food chain settled claims made against them by a group of Panera customers, who says they were misled about menu prices and delivery order fees. And that they shelled out more money than expected for delivery orders as a result of this deception, USA TODAY reported.
A June 10 deadline was set for customers, who ordered food for delivery between Oct. 1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2021, to file a claim. Eligible customers are set to receive vouchers or an electronic cash payment.
Panera agreed to resolve the case under the condition that the company would not have to admit to any wrongdoing, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
USA TODAY has reached out to the company for comment.
Here’s what we know.
'Hidden fees’ added for delivery orders, Panera customers say
Customers, who initiated the lawsuit, accused Panera of “loading on hidden fees” despite promises made to provide either free or low-cost deliveries with a $1 or flat rate to customers who ordered through the company's mobile app or website.
They allege that food prices for delivery orders increased from 5% to 7%, which meant that customers who opted for delivery were paying more for their items than if they had just picked it up in store, according to a lawsuit filed last year in Illinois.
For example, a customer who ordered a sandwich through the mobile app may have been charged an extra $1 for delivery, according to the lawsuit. This extra fee was only displayed on the app or website after a customer chose delivery or pickup, the lawsuit alleged.
“This secret menu price markup was specifically designed to cover the costs of delivering food and profit on that delivery,” according to the lawsuit. “It was, in short, exclusively a charge for using Panera’s delivery service and was, therefore, a delivery charge.”
Claim form still available, proof of purchase required
Most, if not all eligible class members were contacted of the settlement via email and received a Class Member ID. All you have to do is pop that ID number into the online form auto-generated by Kroll Settlement Administration, which was appointed to oversee the settlement.
If you don’t have an ID, but can still provide proof of purchase to verify your claim, like the phone number that was used to place the order or an emailed receipt then you can download the claim form and mail it in.
Two vouchers valued at $9.50 each for a free menu item at Panera, or an electronic payment of up to $12 via PayPal will be sent to eligible customers, according to the settlement website.