Call it karma.
Customers of the MacKeeper have until November 30th to file a claim for a full refund as a result of a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement. Given the terms of the deal, only customers who bought the software for July 8th are eligible.
The class action suit accused MacKeeper’s original developer, ZeoBIT, of deceptively advertising the program and making false claims about what it could fix. It was filed in May 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Under the proposed settlement, ZeoBIT will put US$2 million into a fund for those who want a refund. But ZeoBIT will admit no fault as part of the agreement.
Court documents state that 513,330 bought MacKeeper in the U.S. for up to US$39.95 per copy. These customers will be emailed as to the details of the proposed settlement.
Rust Consulting, the company contracted to administer the settlement, also plans to buy millions of ad impressions through providers such as Xasis, an advertising platform, and Facebook.
One-third of the US$2 million will go towards attorney fees, leaving the remainder for refunds and other administration costs.
MacKeeper, which was originally owned by Ukranian company ZeoBIT, is now owned by a German company called Kromtech Alliance, which is based in Cologne, Germany.
In trial tests, MacKeeper was found to warn of performance problems on a fresh, patched version of OS X Yosemite, customers also complaining of an influx of advertising from partners who proved too aggressive.
Long story short, if you bought MacKeeper before July 8th, now’s your chance to get a refund.
And as to the multi-million dollar class action lawsuit settlement MacKeeper’s past and present owners are now paying out, it’s all they deserve.
Via Macworld and Yencha vs. ZeoBIT LLC Class Action Lawsuit Web Site