Razer ordered to refund $1.1m for misleading mask marketing

Razer co-founder Min-Liang Tan wearing a Zephyr mask / Photo credit: Min-Liang Tan’s Facebook page

Gaming lifestyle brand Razer has been ordered to refund over US$1.1 million to its US customers following allegations that it falsely advertised its Zephyr masks as N95-grade, Channel News Asia reported.

Additionally, Razer is required to pay a US$100,000 penalty. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused Razer of marketing these masks as N95-grade without undergoing the necessary testing and certifications from the country’s Food and Drug Administration and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

A Razer representative, however, told CNA that the company rejects the FTC’s claims. The person added that while Razer did not intend to mislead its customers, “we chose to settle this matter to avoid the distraction and disruption of litigation and continue our focus on creating great products for gamers.”

These masks were sold for US$100 each, with Razer recommending users replace the filters every three days. Razer’s spokesperson added that “more than two years ago,” the company had let customers know that the Zephyr mask was not N95-grade, discontinued sales, and gave refunds to buyers.

This was not Razer’s only mask-related initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company previously set up vending machines for surgical masks in Singapore. It also planned to give away one free surgical mask to every Singaporean adult at the time.

Meanwhile, Razer recently announced that its fintech arm Razer Fintech had been renamed to Fiuu. The rebranding followed the company’s recent partnership with Philippines-based BillEase, which provides buy now, pay later services.

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