Comments on: Trojan horses: class action lawsuit targets lawnmowers

By: gardeningafterfive

gardeningafterfive — Tue, 11 May 2010 12:45:08 +0000

Hi Curtis – you pose a thought provoking concept on the intent of class action suits. I wonder: do they also serve to rein in questionable business practices? This case, for example, is being litigated as a consumer fraud complaint; it alleges that the companies overstated their product’s performance, despite knowing the truth. For 16 years. Aside from the money (which oftens ends up being a laughable payout), do these types of suits bring about more ethical business practices? I don’t know – I’m honestly curious.

By: gardeningafterfive

gardeningafterfive — Tue, 11 May 2010 12:27:11 +0000

That was my reaction too, Steve, when digging into this: how the heck could I tell if my mower has all the horsepower claimed by the manufacturers? It does its job.

By: Curtis Jones

Curtis Jones — Mon, 10 May 2010 23:46:19 +0000

A quick comment about your lawn mower horsepower article – the problem with class action lawsuits is that almost exclusively, only one group of people wins in these cases – the lawyers. They get such a huge % of the $ in a suit like this that noone else benefits. The intent of a class action suit is to bring reward to those who may have been damaged by the unethical or intentional actions of someone or a company but the way our system is set up with the lawyers receiving 60, 70, even 90%, the original purpose was lost, I believe (actually, the original purpose may never have existed – it was probably set up by lawyers in the first place)!
Just my two cents worth. This is why I NEVER participate in class action lawsuits!

By: Steve Newman

Steve Newman — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:29:41 +0000

About two weeks back, I received my notice of the class action lawsuite that addressed the Craftsman mower that I purchased a few years back. Yes indeed, my model was one that may not be performing to specifications. My thoughts on the false claims? Oh come on, give me a break! I did not purchase the said mower for it’s power rating, I bought it for the features such as electric start, the self-propelled wheels, and the width of the deck. All because, I do not intend to use this mower, I have teenagers, whom will never really know the difference between the power of the said engine. They just know that if they don’t do it to their mother’s satisfaction, they will have to do it again. Of course, I think they should use a self-propelled reel mower. That model will never be recalled due to a discrepency in horsepower. Yet, my boys would be all the stronger and have superior shoulder strength aiding their skills at mastering their latest video game.