A repeat filer of class action lawsuits under California privacy laws has lodged another complaint, this time taking aim at the Vitamin Shoppe, claiming the online retailer allowed BoldChat to secretly monitor and record customer interactions with Vitamin Shoppe's online customer service chat service.
The named plaintiff, Anne Heiting, and her attorneys have leveled similar class actions against at least two other companies, bringing similar allegations and seeking similar payouts.
In her new lawsuit, Heiting claims Vitamin Shoppe did not inform her that her online chat conversations were being recorded and exploited for commercial surveillance purposes without her consent during a browsing session on the defendant's website. She argues that these practices violate the privacy rights of customers.
The plaintiff also alleges that a code embedded in Vitamin Shoppe’s website intercepts inquiries from consumers and diverts them to boldchat.com. Once boldchat.com gains access to user information, it stores it for its own purposes, the lawsuit claims.
Heiting is represented in the action by attorneys Robert Tauler and Betsy M. Tauler, of Tauler Smith LLP, of Los Angeles.