New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office recovered more than $122,000 for more than 690 consumers in New York City who paid for expedited COVID-19 tests but received their results later than the promised 24-hour timeframe. After the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) issued a warning letter to Clear 19 Rapid Testing LLC (Clear 19) to stop misrepresenting turnaround times for COVID-19 results, Clear 19 refunded hundreds of consumers who received their results more than two hours after the promised time. The company also amended their advertising to accurately describe turnaround times.
“New Yorkers paid Clear 19 for expedited COVID-19 tests so they could get fast results to travel safely during the holidays, instead they received their results days or weeks later,” said Attorney General James. “Clear 19 misled New Yorkers, but we held them accountable and got their money back. We are still in the midst of this pandemic, and testing sites that advertise fast results are still required to deliver on those promises. New Yorkers depend on accurate and timely results to stay safe, and my office will continue to ensure that testing sites meet those standards and no one is cheated.”
Clear 19 refunded $122,014 in fees to 692 consumers who had received late test results during the holiday season. Two other COVID-19 testing sites, ClearMD Health and SameDay Health, previously refunded thousands of consumers more than $182,000 and more than $230,000 respectively for failing to provide expedited test results that consumers paid extra charges for.
The OAG first launched investigations into COVID-19 testing sites in December 2021, following numerous reports from New Yorkers who were not receiving COVID-19 test results as promised during the busy holiday season.
Attorney General James asks any consumer who believes a lab or other testing facility is making misleading statements about its turnaround time for COVID-19 test results to file a complaint online with OAG's Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau or call the office at 1-800-771-7755.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Franklin Romeo and Deputy Bureau Chief of the Consumer Frauds & Protection Bureau Laura J. Levine, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia. Assistance was provided from Data Analyst Anushua Choudhury under the supervision of Research and Analytics Department Deputy Director Megan Thorsfeldt. The Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau is a part of the Division of Economic Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D’Angelo and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.