The FTC is now refunding people who bought Razer’s ridiculous Zephyr masks

If you let your gamer brain win and buy an N95 mask from Razer, the company best known for its keyboards and computer mice, then you may be entitled to compensation – well, at least a refund. This was reported by the Federal Trade Commission on Monday settled With a gaming hardware company that will give away $1 million to people who buy the Razer Zephyr, a short-lived “N95” mask sold by the company during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the terms of the agreement, the FTC he said it will send full refund checks and PayPal payments to the 6,764 consumers who bought the mask. Consumers who purchase a Zephyr will have 90 days to cash the check once or 30 days to receive a PayPal payment, according to the agency. The FTC will send payments based on records received from Razer and does not require consumers to file a lawsuit.

Payment represents the end of a surprisingly thorough The saga that saw the FTC crack down on Razer for allegedly selling counterfeit Zephyr masks. The company first began offering the masks in 2021, claiming the product is “FDA registered and lab tested for 99 percent BFE (Bacterial Filtration Efficiency)” and that it’s “replaceable” makes it “more effective than standard disposable/cloth masks.” too much protection,” he suggested. N95 grade filters for maximum protection.

It turns out, not so much. According to the FTC’s investigation, Razer never submitted its Zephyr masks to the FDA or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for testing, and they were never certified as N95 grade. Instead, the company conducted tests through a third-party contractor, but even those results showed the masks came up short. To qualify for the N95 rating, a mask must achieve 95% or greater particle filtration efficiency. Third-party testing found the Zephyr maxed at 86.3% in an area with the fans running, and “often tested lower.”

Knowing this, Razer decided to market the mask as the N95 anyway, which is a pretty big no-no. The company sold the masks for several months between the back half of 2021 and early 2022, charging $100 a pop before testing the product.

The company did inform buyers after the fact that the Zephyr was “not a medical device or certified as an N95 mask,” but did not tell those buyers that a refund was available. As a result, the FTC found that less than 6% of Zephyr purchases got their money back—something they intend to correct with this settlement. Better late than never.