The Walmart Vision Center is a chain of optical stores that overcharges customers for eye exams and prescription glasses. Walmart and Sam’s Club do this by pocketing a portion of a customer’s vision insurance benefit. This is known as a double-billing scheme because the store bills the insured customer and his or her vision insurance company for the same charges. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the overcharges and to prevent this practice.
Optometrists sued Wal-Mart for setting or attempting to influence office hours
Walmart has been under fire for allegedly violating the Texas Optometry Act by setting office hours for optometrists. The lease Walmart signed with optometrists required them to work a minimum of 45 hours a week or face a fine of $200 a day. A notice from the Texas Optometry Board notified Wal-Mart in 1995 that this was an illegal practice. The Texas Optometry Board then decided to take legal action against Walmart.
Ultimately, Wal-Mart was found liable in the case because it failed to follow its TOA. It told optometrists that they could change their hours without informing them of the changes. The optometrists, however, did not prove that Wal-Mart’s actions harmed customers. However, the district court did hold Wal-Mart liable for setting or attempting to influence office hours.
Walmart’s failure to properly secure money transfer services
The lawsuit alleges that Walmart failed to provide adequate security for money transfer services, including the use of fraud-prevention tools. Walmart allegedly allowed third-party criminals to trick consumers into sending money to scammers, but these consumers were never informed of the dangers. The lawsuit also alleges that Walmart’s fraud interdiction system failed for 18 months, while the money transfer company was under the oversight of the federal government. The FTC has since attempted to shift the blame to Walmart, claiming that associates were not trained to refuse payments to suspected fraudsters.
The lawsuit also alleges that Walmart failed to properly secure its money transfer services. It has been estimated that as much as $6 billion has been stolen through Walmart’s money transfer services. The FTC has publicly stated that the company failed to adequately secure the money transfer services and warn consumers of potential fraud. In addition, the FTC alleges that Walmart failed to properly train and alert its employees about the problems. It further alleges that Walmart’s failure to secure money transfer services led to millions of dollars of fraud.
Misleading training materials for employees
A recent lawsuit against Walmart focuses on its practices at its Vision Center stores. A federal court found that Walmart did not pay employees the proper overtime and did not properly reimburse vision insurance benefits. The plaintiff claimed that Walmart abused its position by taking advantage of customers and employees, and the company settled this case with the Department of Labor. The lawsuit also claims that Walmart improperly influenced and pushed employees to conduct conversions.
In the April 2013 lawsuit, Wal-Mart denied violating state and federal labor laws. The company also denied that it illegally forced employees to work off the clock. Additionally, it described the allegations of understaffing and improper overtime costs as “absurd” and “illogical.”
Pricing for eye exams
For a more affordable vision check-up than you can get at a local hospital, you might want to consider shopping for your glasses at Walmart Vision Center. Although they don’t offer the same kind of expertise, Walmart’s eye doctors are well-trained and certified. The prices for your eye exam at Walmart Vision Center are similar to those at local hospitals, and they offer the same level of quality. Walmart Vision Centers are open seven days a week. They usually provide eye exams between 9 am and 8 pm Monday through Friday. Sundays and holidays may vary. The quality of your exam may vary, but there’s no reason to worry.
Most of Walmart’s doctors are licensed optometrists, although some are ophthalmologists. If you’d like a more detailed prescription, you’ll want to visit your current eye doctor, as they know your history and have been trained to take precise measurements. While Walmart employees don’t own their own office, they do lease space and equipment from the company. You might not get the same eye doctor every time, but that doesn’t matter. Most people like to develop a relationship with their eye doctor.
False advertising by Wal-Mart
A New York attorney general has settled a lawsuit alleging false advertising by Wal-Mart. This settlement follows an investigation by the attorney general’s office into a sale Walmart advertised in June that offered Coca-Cola 12-packs for $3. The New York Attorney General’s office found that the company had inadvertently charged consumers a 16 percent markup on the beverage. The investigation also found that Wal-Mart sold at least 66,000 12-packs of Coca-Cola in New York for an outrageous price.
The settlement will benefit consumers of packaged goods and weighted meat. The company sold weighted meat at prices that were substantially different from the final sale price. Walmart has faced a steady stream of class action lawsuits this year, focusing on wage violations, product safety, and false advertising. In May, a class action lawsuit was filed claiming that the company had violated the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust laws.
