The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently made an announcement regarding Publishers Clearing House (PCH) that they began mailing out refund checks to customers to ensure the company will be transparent with the customers.
With the PCH refund check in the mail, the eligible consumers affected by the PCH deceptive practices should regularly check their mail, as in the coming weeks, they can expect the refund check. Some people can expect a delay depending on their local mailing services, however, if they find any error, they should contact the commission.
This PCH refund check is from the FTC accusations over the PCH for misleading customers into buying the product. The sweepstakes company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy a month ago, saying they will utilize this bankruptcy to streamline their business operations of retail merchandise, direct mail, etc.
| Refund Checks | PCH Refund Checks |
| Processed by | Federal Trade Commission |
| Who qualifies? | PCH customers who clicked the deceptive email and bought the product |
| No. of customers | 281,724 customers |
| Refund fund | $18 million |
| PCH paid | $18.5 million |
| Refund check issued | 30 April 2025 |
| Refund Administrator Contact No. | 1-888-516-0774 |
| Official Website | https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds/publishers-clearing-house-refunds |
What’s the lawsuit about?
The FTC filed the complaint against the sweepstakes company, PCH, saying the company had deceived its consumers through design and language tricks. The PCH is facing the following charges from the commission:
- They have misled the customers when they were about to enter into sweepstakes and made them believe they had to buy a product to boost their winning chances or to win the sweepstakes.
- They have misled the customers, their sweepstakes were not complete when it was actually complete.
- The company has also added the shipping and handling charges that make the customers pay more on their order, by an average rate of 40%, and this increase is added surprisingly, which makes many customers not even check the charges.
- The company has sent the email with misleading subject lines, making people believe it is some official document from the tax offices, to make people click on it.
- The company has also charged the customers who are returning the products with the shipping fees, even when they claimed that ordering from them would be risk-free for the consumers.
Who will receive it?
The FTC has identified that more than 281,724 customers will receive the PCH refund checks from the commission action. Customers who fulfill these requirements will be included in the PCH refund checks:
- PCH customers who were misled and received the email with a deceptive subject line from PCH that led them to buy the product will be entitled to a refund check.
- You can contact the administrator at 1-888-516-0774 if you have any queries concerning the refund procedure or would like to find out if you qualify for the PCH refund checks.
Refund Amount
The Federal Trade Commission has issued the refund check for the eligible PCH customers on 30 April 2025, but they have not revealed the refund check amount aside from the $18 million is overall compensation fund.
The amount of each customer’s refund check may vary depending on the items they purchased or if they clicked on the email. The eligible PCH customers can ask the administrator about the refund check; however, it’s better to wait for the check as it will be delivered in a few weeks.
The refund cheque will have the issue date for the customers, and they are encouraged to cash it out within 90 days of the FTC sending it. The commission has not mentioned the timeline of refund checks delivered to the customers, so regularly check your mail to check whether you have received the refund check or not.
Action to take on the missing check
The PCH eligible customer does not have to do anything to get this refund check; however, if they do not receive the refund, they should immediately take action to inform the commission when they believe they are eligible for the refund.
The customers who are sure of their eligibility and confirm it with the FTC should wait for some business days, as the mailing service can take time. If you missed the refund check, you can contact the FTC or the administrator handling the PCH refund check at 1-888-516-0774.
Customers should know that the commission will never ask them to pay or provide the account info to get the refund; hence, if you receive any message asking for money to send the check, know that they are scammers impersonating the FTC. If you find any suspicious message, report it to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and safeguard yourself from fraudulent activities.
The PCH refund check is disbursed for more than 280,000 customers, so if you are one of them, regularly check your mail as you can receive it anytime soon. The checks are part of an effort to ensure fairness and transparency in the promotional practices of PCH, providing financial compensation to those impacted.