The legal debacle over the Razer Zephyr mask is finally drawing to a close. A sizeable number of customers (Razer fans, likely) who bought into Razer’s deceptive marketing and sales of its “N95 grade” Zephyr face mask will be entitled to full refunds thanks to a $1 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Razer has paid the settlement amount in full, thus the FTC expects to begin sending payments to claimees in the coming weeks.
According to a press release from the FTC, the case against the false claims made by consumer electronics maker Razer about its Zephyr mask has culminated in the company refunding more than $1 million to its customers. Some 6.764 consumers purchased the masks (and filters) with the belief that the products were certifiably N95 masks.
Razer launched the $100 Zephyr amidst Covid-19 restrictions. It was a 205g hybrid mask and shield that covered the lower half of the face with an external hard plastic shell and detachable silicone seal that fit around the nose and mouth. The system had a fan that ported air through three intakes. Behind the intakes were replaceable N95 filters. Or so Razer claimed.
Third-party testing of the Zephyr and “N95” filters ultimately found that the mask had only 83.2 percent effectiveness with the fans off and 86.3 percent with them on. Comparatively, true N95-certified masks achieve effectiveness of 99% against large particles and 98% against small particles.
Justifiably, consumers and experts called out Razer for its false advertising as it continued to market the Zephyr as an N95-grade mask even if it never was officially N95 certified. Razer had claimed that the Zephyr was “FDA-registered and lab-tested for 99 percent BFE (Bacteria Filtration Efficiency),” but it turned out to be untrue. Thus, the FTC stepped in back in April 2024, cracking down on Razer and its misleading marketing.
With this settlement agreement, Razer will be offering all Zephyr customers a full refund on the mask as well as any filters or accessories they might have purchased. Remittance will be made by the FTC via checks or PayPal over the coming weeks. The company also had to pay a $100,000 fine to the FTC.
For more details or if you simply have questions about this outcome, feel free to contact Simpluris, the refund administrator for the Razer Zephyr case, at 1-833-285-3003. You can also visit FTC’s Refund Program FAQ page for more information.