Companies fined $11 million for deceptive business practices

Robert LeCompte Jul 6, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Companies fined $11 million for deceptive business practices</h1>
                <h2><p>Have you ever signed up for a subscription to a website or a magazine, only to find that the subscription automatically renews? Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson feels your pain.  Classmates, Inc. and FTD, Inc. have agreed to payments of $11 million to resolve allegations from Ferguson and attorneys general</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/robert-lecompte-crosscut-com/">Robert LeCompte</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Have you ever signed up for a subscription to a website or a magazine, only to find that the subscription automatically renews? Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson feels your pain.  Classmates, Inc. and FTD, Inc. have agreed to payments of $11 million to resolve allegations from Ferguson and attorneys general in other states that their billing and marketing practices violated consumer protection standards, including on subscription services from the firms' third-party partners. “Consumers have a right to expect companies to clearly disclose the terms of their services. When a business fails to do that, my office will hold them accountable,” Ferguson said in a <a href="http://us10.campaign-archive1.com/?u=28a64d02479d9d79402df2b20&id=03d0f6e4d4&e=4e714180bf&ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">press release</a>. Along with the payments, the two companies are also required to change their business tactics to be more open and straight-forward with customers.</p>
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Have you ever signed up for a subscription to a website or a magazine, only to find that the subscription automatically renews? Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson feels your pain. Classmates, Inc. and FTD, Inc. have agreed to payments of $11 million to resolve allegations from Ferguson and attorneys general in other states that their billing and marketing practices violated consumer protection standards, including on subscription services from the firms' third-party partners. “Consumers have a right to expect companies to clearly disclose the terms of their services. When a business fails to do that, my office will hold them accountable,” Ferguson said in a press release. Along with the payments, the two companies are also required to change their business tactics to be more open and straight-forward with customers.

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By Robert LeCompte

Robert LeCompte is an editorial intern at Crosscut. He studies communications and film at The Evergreen State College where he recently transferred from Maryland. When not working, he can usually be f