If you have purchased a Pyrex measuring cup on Amazon.com since 2021, you might soon be getting a check in the mail.
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Last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced that 10,259 consumers would receive refunds that add up to more than $88,000. These customers purchased Pyrex cups advertised as “Made in USA” that were actually made in China.
Pyrex is a brand of temperature-resistant glass that originated in Corning, N.Y. It first launched in 1915, according to Smithsonian Magazine, and it has used “Made in the USA” as a selling point.
According to an FTC complaint, Instant Brands – the company that manufactures Pyrex products today – faced an increased demand for its products during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdown orders put in place to reduce the spread of COVID often included bans on indoor restaurant dining, leading to increased interest in cooking at home.
With this increased interest in home baking Pyrex struggled to meet the demand for its products sold on Amazon with U.S.-based manufacturing alone by early 2021, said the FTC. From March of that year to May 2022 Instant Brands produced some Pyrex measuring cups in China.
“When the production shifted to China, the company continued to market the Chinese-made products on Amazon as ‘Made in USA,’ despite the cups themselves being marked ‘Made in China.’ While the Chinese cups were being sold the company also continued its marketing that implied all Pyrex cups were of U.S. origin, with claims about the company’s ‘made in the USA heritage,’ and that its products were ‘American as Apple Pie,’” said the FTC.
More than 110,000 units of Chinese-made Pyrex measuring cup sets were sold to U.S. consumers, according to the commission. Last year, it took action against Instant Brands. As of last Tuesday, the company agreed to a settlement with the FTC that prevented the company from making “Made in USA” claims and included a monetary judgement.
“Consumers rely on marketers to make truthful ‘Made in USA’ claims,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “If marketers move their manufacturing outside the United States, even temporarily, they must update their advertising to make it accurate.”
USA Today said it left a message Monday morning with Instant Brands that was not immediately returned.
All consumers who are eligible for refunds should automatically be on the list to receive a check. In a FAQ sheet, the FTC explained that court orders typically require the defendants to provide a list of customers, contact information and amounts paid. It uses this information to send out refunds.
“We may also use the agency’s Consumer Sentinel Network database to find eligible recipients,” said the commission. “Consumer Sentinel data contains millions of reports from people who contacted the FTC, the Better Business Bureau, or other federal, state, and local law enforcement offices about fraud or bad business practices. The FTC may search for reports related to the defendants and use the contact information in those complaints to create a list of potential refund recipients.”
Refund amounts may not be equivalent to how much consumers spent on the Pyrex products. Per the FTC, refunds depend on the amount collected from defendants and sometimes a second round of refunds goes out. Accepting payment does not require consumers to forfeit rights and the FTC usually does not issue 1099s or other tax documents to refund recipients.
Once consumers receive their checks for the Pyrex settlement, they should cash them within 90 days, the FTC said.
“Consumers who have questions about their payment should contact the refund administrator, Simpluris, at 833-244-7320, or visit the FTC website to view frequently asked questions about the refund process,” it added. “The Commission never requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund.”
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