Summer 2006

August 2006

GE National Class Action

Deadlines Have Been Extended

For the benefit of the thousands of people who did not receive notification from General Electric regarding their participation in the Settlement and are just Now finding out about the national GE defective refrigerator problem, we will recap the important facts here.

William F. Turner v. General Electric Company (Case No. 2:05-cv-186-FtM-33DNF) is a national Class Action Lawsuit filed on April 29, 2005 pertaining to 304 defective GE and Hotpoint refrigerator models.  This means that any person living in the United States who ever owned one of these 304 models is a member of the class whether they know it or not.  For example:

• Even if you did not receive Notice From General Electric and were totally unaware of the Class Action Settlement, you are considered a Member of the Class because you are (or were) an owner of one of the defective refrigerators listed in the lawsuit.

• You are affected and bound by the Settlement whether you knew about it or not.

• Once final approval of this lawsuit occurs, all Member of the Class (including YOU!) will have forever released GE of any and all liability.

General Electric quickly agreed to settle the class action lawsuit on December 15, 2005.  (The specific terms of the settlement can be viewed on our Class Action page.)  Beginning on January 13, 2006 General Electric began the Court ordered notification process.  This was to include notification by mail to all known (past and present) owners of the defective refrigerators.  The mailing included a copy of the Proposed Settlement Agreement and claim forms.

In order to participate in the benefits of the Settlement, the deadline for registering claims was strict and swift.  March 14, 2006 was the deadline for objecting to the Settlement or to opt-out of the settlement.  April 13, 2006 was the deadline (it is now September 4, 2006) for submitting claim forms to register for any of the following benefits:

• reimbursement for previously paid repairs;

• reimbursement to people who had already replaced their defective refrigerators at their own expense;

• registration for a one-year free extended warranty for moisture-related repairs;

• and finally, free replacement of refrigerators that had three or more previous moisture-related repairs and continue to exhibit moisture problems.

The Fairness Hearing was scheduled for April 27, 2006.  The purpose of the hearing was to:

• certify the status of the lawsuit as a national class action;

• give a final stamp of approval to the Settlement Agreement;

• confirm General Electric's performance of the Court ordered noti­fi­ca­tion process, and

• pay Plaintiff's lawyers $1,325,000.00 in professional fees.

Thanks to all of the people who took the time to contact us, we became acutely aware of problems rampant in the notification process.  It was obvious that databases General Electric had used for notification were incomplete and intervention was necessary.  The morning of the Fairness Hearing, we filed a plea with the Court, hoping to intervene and delay final approval of the Settlement.  If the Court had approved the Settlement that day, hundreds of thousands of people would have forever lost all their rights to any remedy or restitution from General Electric in any Court of law.

Frankly, the Judge was displeased (to say the least) by the intervention.  She also appeared surprised and confused.  Once we were able to disclose to the Court the database problems and omissions, the tension in the courtroom shifted rather dramatically.  Attorneys (literally) sprang to their feet and seemed to stumble while explaining how such an error had occurred.

As a result, the Court delayed final approval of the Settlement and ordered the deadlines extended for those members of the Class who had not received proper notification.  General Electric also agreed (in open Court) to be "lenient" with deadlines for anyone who did not receive timely notice.  The new deadlines are:

• August 21, 2006:  Fairness Hearing

• September 4, 2006:  Claims deadline.

If you own - or have ever owned - one of the defective models listed in the Settlement, you can contact the General Electric Moisture Settlement office to request claim forms.  If you are currently in need of a repair for a refrigerator included in the Settlement, contact the GE Moisture Settlement Office at: 1-866-839-4463.

If you have any problems, are denied or discouraged by GE in your attempt to file a claim for your defective refrigerator (in any way), please contact us and let us know as soon as possible.  All the links you need are in the column to the left.

S.O.S. (Save Our Settlement)

We sent an S.O.S. by contacting the Attorneys General of all 50 states and US territories asking them for their assistance in disseminating information to their constituents about the Class Action Settlement.  As the ultimate Consumer Advocate in each state, it was imperative they be aware of the health and safety hazards to the public due to the defects in the refrigerators.  Click here to open a new page and access the letters sent to the Attorneys General.

Coming Soon!

Watch for our new section Dirty Laundry where you will find jaw-dropping reports about General Electric and their pervasive influence on American life.  We will include:

• GE contributions to political candidates and parties

• GE lobbying activities in the Congress and Senate (and the issues they attempt to influence)

• GE's vast ownership, control, and influence on the American media

• GE's 'rap sheet' of investigations, lawsuits, fines, and penalties.

Whenever available, we will include original government and court documents for downloading to read at your leisure.

July 13, 2006

Welcome To Our New Website

We think you will find this new version easier to read, easier to find the information you need, and to find it more quickly.  The main sections are listed in the navigation bar at the top of every page. When you enter a new section, you will see a box 'Also In This Section'.  Each title is a link to the pages included in that section.  Finally, you can find where all pages of the site are located (listed in logical order) in the Site Map.

Enjoy!

The Long Road

In the beginning, we could not have not predicted the website would become the linchpin of almost everything accomplished (so far).  It just seemed like a good way to share information without spending most of our time on the telephone!  But within a matter of weeks, it was apparent that our web presence was not just an economical use of time and an effective way to communicate information to consumers, but - to our surprise - became the channel for discovering the magnitude of General Electric's effort to conceal a massive product design failure.

Thank You

Countless people have contributed to the rehabilitation of General Electric's understanding of customer service.  We list just a few of them here, with our gratitude.

• Vinnie Sullivan the Island Walk Warrior.  With his indomitable spirit, Vinnie took on the mantle of community advocacy, organization, strategy, and perseverance.  His personal outrage extended far beyond the inconvenience of a defective refrigerator.  More important was the welfare of his community.  And to his Dearly Beloved Laurie, who tolerated an invasion of desperate and distraught telephone calls, turning their quiet refuge into Ground Zero.
• Bob "Flash" Maxwell for his infectious enthusiasm and indefatigable community advocacy.  You cannot meet Bob without being forever changed.
• Carol Vetula and Linda Johnson for their leadership, commitment, and diligence on behalf of their communities.
• Senator Burt Saunders for his responsiveness to our request for his support and invaluable help in opening doors.
• Honorable Charlie Crist for his intervention in the Settlement negotiations which resulted in the inclusion of the 20 and 25 cubic foot models.
• GE Technicians who demonstrate true and dedicated Customer Service as they help customers reach fair and equitable solutions despite being caught between the customers they serve and the corporation they work for.
• The Thousands of GE Appliance Owners who have taken the time to contact us with documentation of their experiences with GE products and services.  Without their detailed contributions to our database, we could never have leveraged the campaign as effectively.  Your continued support by providing data and feedback, spreading the word, and referring others to our website, brings us closer to the day when GE (and other like-minded companies) rediscovers the value of truthful and respectful treatment of consumers.