Dad attempts class-action lawsuit after daughter spends $300 on Hearthstone packs without permission
And didn't get good cards.
A father is attempting to launch a class-action lawsuit against Hearthstone maker Blizzard, after his daughter secretly spent more than $300 on packs without getting all the cards they wanted.
Arizona man Nathan Harris is trying to launch the suit, which claims Hearthstone tricks players into non-refundable purchases without knowing the odds of rare cards (thanks, Polygon).
In particular, Harris complains that his daughter - who used his credit card without asking - did not realise you could not get a refund from packs which "almost never received any valuable cards". The game also lacks parental controls, Harris complained.
Harris is seeking to use the California Family Code - which gives minors rights to get out of contracts and gain refunds - as part of a class-action suit, so the complaint could potentially be opened up to other, similar parents without full control of their credit cards.
Like many other collectible card games (or games in other genres with lootboxes), Hearthstone's packs offer random chances at cards from a particular set, with a selection of rarity tiers.
In Hearthstone, any card - such as one you don't need or have already - can be ground down into Dust, which can be crafted into a specific card you're after. The game also has so-called pity timers, which ensure you do get at least one top-tier Legendary card after more than 40 packs.
Back in March, another Californian class-action lawsuit was proposed by two mothers against Nintendo over its Switch Joy-Con drift. In that case, the mothers wanted to circumvent the Switch's user agreement (which says you can't sue Nintendo) by saying their children would sue on their behalf.