Top retailers in trouble for alleged false advertising

(FOX 13) - If you aim to hit some hot sales while you finish up your holiday shopping, buyer beware. The deals might not be as good as they seem.

Mac'ys, JCPenny, Kohls and Sears are big name retailers in big trouble for offering discounts that the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office says were misleading to customers.

The office is filing a lawsuit against the retailers for increasing the original price for which an item was allegedly sold to make the sale price seem more attractive.

For example, a sale flyer would say "Original Price: $99, Sale Price: $59," but the original price was actually $89, leading customers to think they saved $10 more than they actually saved.

The lawsuits seeks civil penalties and injunctions to ban this sort of marketing.

L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer says, “I'm calling on each of these retailers before any lawsuit is served to, right now, decease in what we allege is the practice of false reference pricing. That's what every customer deserves."