For release on July 25, 2016
CONTACT:
Tiyen Lin, Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit
(408) 792-2825 SHELL OIL PAYS $762,500 CONSUMER PROTECTION SETTLEMENT Equilon Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Shell Oil, will pay a $762,500 settlement to resolve consumer protection and advertising violations related to problems with its gift and fuel rewards cards. As alleged in a complaint filed with the court, Equilon Enterprises failed to adequately inform customers about limitations in its gift and fuel rewards cards. In some cases, customers were not receiving advertised discounts. Some stations were refusing to redeem cards with less than $10, as required by state law. The Santa Clara County District Attorney Office joined fellow prosecutors in Alameda, Monterey, Napa, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma counties in bringing the consumer protection action. Deputy District Attorney Tiyen Lin said: “The District Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that California’s consumer protection laws are followed, both to protect consumers and to create a level playing field for all businesses.” The judgment includes an injunction that requires Shell to: implement new technology at stations to address technical limitations that prevented advertised discounts from being combined; better disclose any limitations on advertised discounts; provide increased training materials to help Shell stations address the issues in the complaint; and more prominently notify consumers about their gift card redemption rights and where to call with questions or complaints about Shell gift cards or fuel rewards cards. Shell and its counsel worked cooperatively with prosecutors to implement changes and make additional disclosures, without admitting liability. # # #
CONTACT:
Tiyen Lin, Deputy District Attorney
Consumer Protection Unit
(408) 792-2825 SHELL OIL PAYS $762,500 CONSUMER PROTECTION SETTLEMENT Equilon Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Shell Oil, will pay a $762,500 settlement to resolve consumer protection and advertising violations related to problems with its gift and fuel rewards cards. As alleged in a complaint filed with the court, Equilon Enterprises failed to adequately inform customers about limitations in its gift and fuel rewards cards. In some cases, customers were not receiving advertised discounts. Some stations were refusing to redeem cards with less than $10, as required by state law. The Santa Clara County District Attorney Office joined fellow prosecutors in Alameda, Monterey, Napa, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma counties in bringing the consumer protection action. Deputy District Attorney Tiyen Lin said: “The District Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that California’s consumer protection laws are followed, both to protect consumers and to create a level playing field for all businesses.” The judgment includes an injunction that requires Shell to: implement new technology at stations to address technical limitations that prevented advertised discounts from being combined; better disclose any limitations on advertised discounts; provide increased training materials to help Shell stations address the issues in the complaint; and more prominently notify consumers about their gift card redemption rights and where to call with questions or complaints about Shell gift cards or fuel rewards cards. Shell and its counsel worked cooperatively with prosecutors to implement changes and make additional disclosures, without admitting liability. # # #