Tim Hortons: A pastry and coffee to get out of the lawsuit

Tim Hortons has promised free pastries and coffee to anyone involved in one of the class action lawsuits against the restaurant chain alleging its mobile app violates customer privacy.

Many Tim Hortons customers were surprised to receive a statement from the company advising of an agreement to drop the lawsuit.

“As part of the proposed settlement agreement, eligible app users will receive a free hot drink and pastry,” it said.

All Canadian users of the Application who have a registered account between April 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020 and have their geolocation information collected are eligible for this agreement.

So the credit offered allows you to get a pastry for up to $2.39 plus tax and a hot drink worth no more than $6.19 before tax.

This amount will be directly deposited in the mobile application of the concerned customers or sent to the beneficiary’s email address. However, you must claim your coffee and pastry within 12 months of deposit, at the risk of losing this privilege.

Recall that several privacy commissioners across Canada, including the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec, have launched a joint investigation into the way a Tim Hortons application collects data on its customers’ geolocation.

A consumer who used the app and the Burger King app sued for damages, alleging that the app tracked his movements without his consent when it was closed.

Tim Hortons denied those allegations and therefore agreed to a national settlement without admitting liability.

A settlement approval hearing is scheduled for Sept. 6 in a Montreal court.