San Diego
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Three grocery chains have settled false-advertising cases brought jointly by the San Diego city attorney’s office and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office about ads offering “unlimited double coupons.”
The settlement reached Friday stipulates that the grocery store companies, without admitting any wrongdoing, are permanently barred from using the word “unlimited” in advertisements or store signs that refer to doubling the face value of manufacturers’ coupons when that service is actually limited, deputy City Atty. Tricia C. Johnson said.
The settlement calls for penalties of $32,650 against Ralph’s Grocery Company, $32,500 against Alpha Beta Company, and $32,000 against Safeway Stores, Johnson said. The settlement injunction applies to advertisements by the companies throughout the state.
The cases resulted from a complaint filed with the San Diego city attorney’s consumer-fraud unit last June. Several limitations to the “unlimited double coupon” promotions existed, Johnson said, including the number, type and value of the coupons the stores would double.
Los Angeles County became involved because the ads were running throughout Southern California.
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