Red Bull awards $13m to its customers for not giving them wings

A class action lawsuit against the energy drinks firm resulted in it settling to pay consumers $10 in cash or products to the value of $15

Consumers expecting a $10 refund from Red Bull could be bitterly disappointed to find out that the cheque they receive may in fact be a fraction of that amount.

A class action lawsuit settled by Red Bull in August means that the firm has to pay over $13million following claims that it was responsible for “false advertising”.

The plaintiff had taken Red Bull to court for failing to give him wings after he drank the product – the company’s adverts have famously used the slogan “Red Bull gives you wings” for some years.

As reported by BevNet, the man suing had said that he had drunk Red Bull since 2002 and accused the firm of being misleading in its claims not only to give wings, but also of its promises to increase concentration and reaction speed, among its other claims.

The US settlement, which Red Bull agreed to so as to “avoid unpredictability and the high costs of litigation”, was thought to result in millions of customers who purchased a can over the last decade receiving either $10 cash or two Red Bull products worth $15.

Those wanting to claim – and it’s only for consumers in the United States – need to fill out a form on http://energydrinksettlement.com/claim by 2 March 2015.

However, the large influx of people attempting to claim over the last few days has resulted in the website crashing.

The sheer numbers could also affect how much people are eventually awarded, as with the settlement being capped at $13million, it is not thought that the firm would pay every single claimant $10.

If fulfilling the individual amounts, it is not clear how many or which claimants they would pay over others.

Red Bull UK told The Independent: “The lawsuit was brought in the US and therefore only applies to US consumers. Red Bull maintains that its marketing is truthful and accurate.”