For the thousands of former members of the Car2Go carsharing service in Quebec, the time has now come to claim their due, in the wake of the class action brought once morest the company in 2020.
An out-of-court settlement, without admission of liability from Car2Go, has been approved by the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
Under the terms of this agreement, the company is required to distribute up to “$ 1 million” in restitution among its eligible former members.
Car2Go’s services quickly gained attention in Quebec, thanks in part to its fleet of Smart cars. It had invaded the streets of the central districts of Montreal, before spreading then to Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, among others.
More than 50,000 Quebeckers were won over by its mode of operation without the need for reservations, per-minute pricing and universal parking stickers making it particularly easy to use in town.
The catch, on the other hand, was the levying of a $ 1 “driver protection fee” added to each use, no matter how long.
If Car2Go has always defended itself by supporting the fact of attempting to lower the insurance deductible in the event of an accident, others argued on the contrary that it was breaking the law, in particular on consumer protection.
Faced with the class action, the company – which now operates under the name ShareNow in Europe – chose the path of a million dollar settlement.
Initially, all Car2go users were included in this remedy. However, the Court ruled that only Canadian members who have paid at least $ 10 in protection costs will be entitled to the indemnity.
In principle, the latter have already received an email on this subject from MNP, the company mandated to manage the distribution of these funds.
But beware: to receive their due, the people concerned must submit a claim for compensation by April 8.
Is the effort worth it? MNP cannot respond. It all depends, she said, on how many people apply.
In principle, the distribution process, by Interact payment, will end by the spring.
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