Remedy for a Cold Remedy

By now most people know about Airborne's Class Action Settlement for any products purchased between May 1, 2001 to November 29, 2007.

Airborne has set up a website for information about filing your claims. If you have receipts or other proof of purchase, you can get back the price of any items that are included in the settlement. If you don't have proof of purchase, you can still get a settlement check for up to 6 Airborne products ranging in price from $2.75 to $10.50.

Based on other larger corporation settlements, where usually you get $2-$10, this surprised me. It seemed like a lot of faith in the general public to not just say they purchased Airborne products. I wouldn't be surprised if some people were to fill out their form saying they purchased 6 boxes of Airborne Seasonal Formula and wait for their $63 check to come in the mail.

However, these same individuals could be sadly disappointed to find out, their check may never arrive. If you do a little more digging on the website you will find that the settlement has not been approved by the courts yet. That court date is set for mid-June.

It's very possible the courts won't approve the settlement at all, or instead will agree to giving claimants a much smaller percentage of their claim.

Even if the courts approve the settlement, if any appeals are made, no payments will be made until all appeals have been resolved.

Seems like a good way for Airborne to save face. It's good PR to show they are doing their best to rectify the situation. From this side of the fence, it seems like they have a low risk of having to actually pay out the full amounts they are currently offering.

Considering doctors and scientists are still saying we don't have a cure for the common cold, I took Airborne's claims of it's incredible ability with a grain of salt. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is - especially when someone is trying to sell you something.

I am not sure what makes a corporation who has lawyers and other supposedly smart advertising professionals misrepresent their product or studies. Especially when it is so easy to throw in a disclaimer.

Then again, I am also not sure what makes consumers believe everything they hear or read instead of looking at the ingredients and investigating for themselves.

Go to the Airborne Settlement website for more information.