A Chicago-area man has slapped an Illinois McDonald's franchisee with a lawsuit, claiming its "Extra Value Meal" is anything but a value, according to multiple reports.
James Gertie, of Des Plaines, Illinois, filed the consumer fraud lawsuit last week in Cook County Circuit Court. He's suing Karis Management Company, which owns and operates several McDonald's restaurants in the Chicago suburbs.
According to the Cook County Record, Gertie purchased "Extra Value Meals" from at least five Karis-owned McDonald's locations between Oct. 14 and Nov. 13. He claims he was charged $5.90 for each meal, but determined that if he'd purchased the food items — two cheeseburgers ($2.50), medium fries ($1.99) and a medium drink ($1) — separately, he would have only paid $5.49.
"(Karis) advertised for sale a food combination designated as an 'Extra Value Meal' but the combination actually costs more than if each item were bought separately, thus making it no 'value' at all, let alone an 'extra value,'" the lawsuit claims.
In the suit, which is seeking class action status, Gertie requested Karis be made to pay plaintiffs the amount they were overcharged, as well as punitive damages and attorney fees.
"The reason that I am doing this is not about the 41 cents," Gertie told the Daily Herald. "It's because of the principle. A value meal is supposed to be a cheaper price. That's the whole point of a 'value' meal. I believe in the principle of true advertising. If a company advertises something to be a value, then that is what it should be."
Neither Karis nor McDonald's responded to requests for comment, the Daily Herald reported.
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