Powerbeats2 owners begin to receive payments from $9.75M settlement

Owners of Apple's Powerbeats2 headphones who filed as claimants in a $9.75 million class action lawsuit began to receive payouts this week, with some eligible for up to $189 per proof of purchase.

Customers who submitted claims informed MacRumors on Tuesday that funds resulting from the 2017 lawsuit are now being processed. A screenshot of one such receipt shows a payout of $114.12.

Filed in the Superior Court of California by plaintiffs Latanya Simmons and Kevin Tobin on behalf of a wider class of device owners, the case alleged Powerbeats2 hardware contains a design defect that causes the device to stop retaining a charge. Specifically, plaintiffs said the product failed to charge or turn on "after a short amount of time" during the course of normal use, including when coming in contact with moisture.

An initial version of the complaint targeted Apple's advertisement of both Powerbeats2 and Powerbeats3, which touted product robustness, waterproofness and extended battery life. Apple's warranty replacement system was also questioned in the suit.

Apple denied the allegations and no judgment was made in the case as both parties agreed to a settlement in January 2020.

Owners who bought a Powerbeats2 device prior to Aug. 7, 2020, were eligible to file a claim worth up to $189 with proof of purchase.

Powerbeats2 debuted in 2014 and was replaced by Powerbeats3 in 2016. The current iteration, Powerbeats4, hit stores in early 2020.

2 Comments

fred1 1131 comments · 11 Years

About 3 years ago

I remember when people would just return a defective product for repair, a refund, or replacement. Now they start class action suits?
With the money they’re getting do they get a replacement, or just a refund?

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

About 3 years ago

fred1 said:

I remember when people would just return a defective product for repair, a refund, or replacement. Now they start class action suits?
With the money they’re getting do they get a replacement, or just a refund?

Class actions are about attorneys making money. What’s the profit in just returning the product for replacement or refund? It probably works like this. The lawyers keep an eye on tech blogs and social media to see what people are complaining about. If a problem looks like it could be litigated they start contacting users to find one who will agree to sue. Now they have their class action. And true to form the company, this case Apple, looks at it from a financial standpoint instead of a right/wrong point of view. What’s the most economical way to resolve the suit? In almost all cases like this one the answer is settle out of court while admitting no guilt or responsibility. The lawyers know this and they can make a ton of money without much effort in their part.

Oh, and by the way, I’m still waiting for my $25 for battery-gate on my long gone iPhone 6.