Thousands of Australians who think a text message they received about a potential legal case is even more spam may actually receive a small windfall as part of a class-action lawsuit against Allianz over “useless” add-on insurance packages for children. motorists.
Eligible Australians are now receiving text messages, emails and letters telling them to register for the class action by July 15.
‘You are a potential class member in the Allianz class action lawsuit. “Register by July 15, 2024 to claim money from any pretrial settlement,” the message reads.
‘Your notice, with the products you purchased, is in the PDF below.’
Recipients of the text are also urged to confirm that the message is legitimate by searching for the class action lawsuit online.
Notices will be sent May 13-27 and reminders will be sent June 11-25.
The class action lawsuit concerns anyone who purchased a car or motorcycle and was sold ‘add-on’ insurance products from Allianz or Allianz Life, between June 1, 2006 and September 27, 2021.
Hundreds of thousands of Australians could receive a small windfall as part of a class-action lawsuit against Allianz over “useless” add-on insurance packages for drivers.
Supplemental insurance products include loan protection insurance, motor capital insurance, extended motor warranty and tire and tire insurance.
Law firms Johnson Winter Slattery (JWS) and Maurice Blackburn have jointly filed the class action lawsuit, alleging that Allianz had been “engaging in deceptive or misleading conduct and unconscionable conduct.”
The class action has been launched in the Supreme Court of Victoria and it is expected that hundreds of thousands of Australians will be eligible to make a claim.
Mediation will take place in August and the trial will begin in October of this year.
It is unclear how much Australians may receive from the class action lawsuit, but it is estimated that they could receive a refund for the insurance and any additional interest paid.
“The actual amount of compensation payable will depend on the outcome of the case and the circumstances of each member of the class and therefore cannot be reliably predicted,” states information provided on the Allianz website.
The class action lawsuit concerns anyone who purchased a car or motorcycle and was sold ‘add-on’ insurance products from Allianz or Allianz Life, between June 1, 2006 and September 27, 2021.
Maurice Blackburn had initially launched his own class action against Allianz in November 2020, before consolidating into the current class action with JWS.
At the time, Maurice Blackburn said the class action lawsuit “alleges that thousands of drivers who obtained financing through auto dealerships were sold various types of worthless Allianz insurance to shamelessly increase their profits.”
“Many of these insurance products were excessively expensive and offered no value to customers,” Maurice Blackburn lead attorney Andrew Watson said at the time of the first class action lawsuit.
‘Car dealers sold these products when they had little or no value and not only kept silent about it, but added the rubbish insurance products to loan contracts, often without the customer realizing.
“If customers knew and understood that they were being asked to pay thousands of dollars for these worthless products, they would have rejected the offer without hesitation.”