BUBBA GUMP SHRIMP CO. CLASS ACTION INVESTIGATION

Class action attorneys are investigating Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., the American seafood restaurant chain, for sending text messages to customers who were waiting for a table. The text messages are believed to contain a link where customers can view their place in line:

But when customers click on the link, they are instead directed to a webpage encouraging them to download the Nowait waitlist app:

Nowait is a waitlist platform used by business to make greater profits through fast turnover. In 2017, Yelp acquired Nowait for $40 million.

Not surprisingly, customers have recently begun receiving texts from Bubba Gump containing a link promoting the Yelp app.

Once again, although the text messages promised to show customers their places in line, clicking on the embedded link instead directs customers to a website promoting the Yelp app:

Customers on the waitlist were the perfect captive audience to expand these companies’ app user base.

But that doesn’t mean what they did was legal.

The Telephone Consumer Privacy Act (TCPA) is a federal law that prevents businesses from sending text messages without your express written consent. Violators could owe you $500 or more for each unwanted text messages.

If you were one of the thousands of customers who received text messages while waiting to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., we’d like to hear about your experience. Call the attorneys at CounselOne today at 310-277-9945.