Pods Go to Court

Procter & Gamble is already in hot water over accidental ingestion of its pods laundry d Tide Pods fabric care product. Now the company is facing a class-action lawsuit in federal court over allegations that the products can stain light-colored laundry.
 

Consumer Reports published an article about the problem on Feb. 20, 2014, the suit states. The article quoted a P&G spokesperson who said the stains can be caused by not putting a Tide Pods pack into the washing machine before clothing is inserted or by overstuffing a machine with laundry.
 

“P&G reiterated over and over, in its responses to consumer complaints, that it would not put a product on the market that would ruin laundry, that Tide Pods have been successfully tested, and it is certain that if used as directed, Tide Pods do not stain laundry,” the suit notes. “However, it is clear from plaintiffs’ experiences, as well as those of the customer complaints set forth above, and the hundreds of additional complaints on the Tide website, that even when used as directed, Tide Pods permanently stain white and light-colored laundry.”
 

The suit, filed by attorneys at Stull, Stull & Brody, includes claims that P&G engaged in deceptive trade practices and breached implied warranties. The suit was filed on behalf of three consumers, but anyone in the US who bought Tide Pods and had laundry damaged should be represented as a class in the case, the suit stated. A jury trial was requested.

“Tide Pods have serious design defects … that cause them to produce permanent blue/purple stains on white and light-colored laundry, even when used as directed by P&G,” claims the suit, which was filed last month in U.S. District Court in New York.

The suit claims Cincinnati-based P&G could be liable for more than $5 million in damages related to Tide Pods, which it began selling in the US in 2012. Laundry packets are used in more than 26 million U.S. homes, and P&G brands account for 80% of sales.