The settlement addressed allegations that Consumer Reports, Inc. improperly enrolled California consumers into automatic-renewal or continuous-service subscriptions—covering its magazine, online access, and other products—between March 2, 2016, and November 5, 2020. Consumers claimed that the automatic renewals were effectuated without adequate disclosure of the terms or clear consent, in violation of California’s consumer-protection laws. The parties agreed to a $1.15 million settlement to resolve the claims across the defined class.
CPT Group was retained to administer the settlement with precision and transparency: ensuring that the 279,250 class‐member records were promptly validated, accurately contacted, and appropriately guided through the claims process. The objective was to maximize the reach and accessibility of the notice program and to support high-quality participation rates while upholding the integrity of the administration process.
CPT Group leveraged its scalable infrastructure and data-validation expertise to manage the large consumer class. Starting with more than 279,250 records, CPT conducted extensive skip-tracing and National Change of Address (NCOA) validation to refine contact accuracy. The administration team mailed and emailed notices, and dispatched reminder emails to those who had not filed a claim by the designated deadline. To ensure a seamless claims experience, CPT launched a custom interactive website where class members could submit claims securely and review case information in real time. The combination of robust data workflows, diversified notice channels (mail, email, web), and user-friendly online infrastructure underpinned the campaign’s success.
CPT achieved an exceptional notice outcome: delivering notice to 278,154 Class Members, representing a 99.6% deliverability rate. In total, 10,788 valid claims were submitted, for a valid claims rate of 3.88%—outperforming typical benchmarks for consumer settlement participation. The multi-channel strategy reaffirmed CPT Group’s reputation for operational excellence, data-driven outreach, and class-member accessibility.
