{"id":"e766b681-c946-499e-8c86-db8685d4bf1d","slug":"instacart-ftc-settlement-2025","kind":"regulatory_action","headline":"FTC orders Instacart to pay $60M in consumer refunds for deceptive advertising and subscription practices","summary":"The Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement requiring Instacart to pay $60 million in consumer refunds to settle allegations of deceptive tactics. The FTC alleged Instacart falsely advertised 'free delivery' while charging mandatory service fees up to 15% of order cost, falsely advertised a '100% satisfaction guarantee' while hiding refund options, and failed to clearly disclose Instacart+ membership enrollment terms, charging hundreds of thousands of consumers without express informed consent.","occurredAt":"2025-12-18T00:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"reviewed","modelId":"0ad8b12c-bc2b-42b1-8253-a001899742ce","deploymentId":"4f3fcd6d-f17f-4cd4-89c3-e0f0f57404af","companyId":"159cc655-5870-4ed5-a6a5-921eecd03895","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"moderate","rootCauseCategory":null,"rootCauseDetail":null,"affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":null,"regulatoryAction":"fine","regulatoryBody":"FTC","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":"service","latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-07-18T12:46:33.243Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-18T12:46:33.243Z","model":{"id":"0ad8b12c-bc2b-42b1-8253-a001899742ce","companyId":"159cc655-5870-4ed5-a6a5-921eecd03895","modelName":"Caper Cart","slug":"caper-cart","description":"AI-powered smart shopping cart using computer vision cameras and weight sensors to recognize items placed in the cart without scanning or weighing. Features a touch-enabled screen for navigation, product recommendations, and in-cart checkout. First smart cart in the US approved by NTEP for selling items priced by weight. Deployed at Kroger, Wakefern, Schnucks, Sobeys, and Auchan. Acquired by Instacart in October 2021 for $350M.","formFactor":"service","industryVertical":null,"environment":null,"maturityStage":"commercial","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://company.instacart.com/pressreleases/instacart-acquires-caper-ai-a-leader-in-smart-cart-and-smart-checkout-technology-creating-a-unified-online-and-in-store-commerce-solution-for-retailers","name":"Instacart"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"Technology","value":"Computer vision + weight sensors for item recognition"},{"label":"Checkout","value":"In-cart checkout, no scanning required"},{"label":"NTEP certified","value":"First US smart cart approved for weight-priced items"},{"label":"Retailers","value":"Kroger, Wakefern, Schnucks, Sobeys, Auchan"},{"label":"Acquisition","value":"$350M by Instacart (October 2021)"},{"label":"Origin","value":"Caper AI (founded 2017, New York City)"}],"createdAt":"2026-07-18T12:45:38.038Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-09T03:57:34.330Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":null,"unitsInFieldVerified":null,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":null,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":null,"unitsSource":null,"salesModel":null,"priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":null,"autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null},"deployment":{"id":"4f3fcd6d-f17f-4cd4-89c3-e0f0f57404af","modelId":"0ad8b12c-bc2b-42b1-8253-a001899742ce","versionId":null,"locationId":"f42cb087-b4c0-49ea-97b6-d47fcfa6f304","operatorId":"159cc655-5870-4ed5-a6a5-921eecd03895","ownerId":null,"slug":"caper-cart-germany-europe","status":"operational","firstSeen":"2024-06-01T00:00:00.000Z","statusChangeReason":null,"contractType":null,"pilotOutcome":null,"endedAt":null,"unitsOnSite":null,"tasksPerformed":["cleaning","maintenance","assistance"],"shiftStructure":null,"hoursPerDay":10,"siteType":"home","operatorConfirmed":null,"humanSupervisionOnsite":null,"locationPrecisionTier":"city_centroid","deploymentScale":"large_100_plus","siteEnvironment":"indoor","operatorType":"customer_deployed","sourceQualityTier":8,"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[],"notes":"Commercial product — available for purchase in this market.","keyFacts":[],"reviewNote":"Bulk deepened — form-factor-based metadata assignment","exposureHours":null,"deploymentMilesEstimate":null,"exposureBasis":null,"customerSegment":"consumer","scaleTier":"fleet_1000_plus","contractValueUsd":null,"contractValueBasis":null,"customerCompanyId":null,"customerExternalName":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-20T04:09:12.269Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-20T16:27:49.466Z"},"company":{"id":"159cc655-5870-4ed5-a6a5-921eecd03895","name":"Instacart","slug":"instacart","description":"North American online grocery platform operating as a deployer of physical AI systems in retail and fulfillment. Instacart acquired [Caper AI](/companies/caper-ai) in 2021 for $350M to deploy AI-powered smart shopping carts with computer vision and weight sensors at major grocery retailers including [Kroger](/companies/kroger), Wakefern, Schnucks, and Sobeys. The company also partnered with [Fabric](/companies/fabric) to build robotic micro-fulfillment centers (MFCs) for automated grocery order picking. Instacart went public as Maplebear Inc. (NASDAQ: CART) in September 2023 at $30/share, raising $660M. The company reported $3.74B revenue in 2025 and acquired Caper AI co-founder Lindon Gao's smart cart technology to unify in-store and online commerce.","status":"public","founded":2012,"hq":"San Francisco, CA, USA","hqLat":37.7879363,"hqLng":-122.4075201,"hqGeocodedAt":"2026-08-05T14:34:23.906Z","hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":"instacart.com","fundingTotal":null,"type":"both","roles":["robot_maker","robot_operator"],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","heatIndex":54,"lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.instacart.com/","title":"Instacart","date_accessed":"2026-06-24"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"CEO","value":"Chris Rogers (since August 2025)"},{"label":"Previous CEO","value":"Fidji Simo (2021-2025, departed to OpenAI)"},{"label":"Founder","value":"Apoorva Mehta (2012, now Executive Chairman)"},{"label":"Stock","value":"NASDAQ: CART (Maplebear Inc.), IPO September 2023 at $30/share, raised $660M"},{"label":"Revenue","value":"$3.742 billion (2025), up 11% YoY"},{"label":"Q1 2026 Revenue","value":"$1.019 billion, up 14% YoY"},{"label":"Employees","value":"~3,000+ (corporate)"},{"label":"Retail partners","value":"600+ national, regional, and local retailers across 55,000+ stores"},{"label":"Acquisition","value":"Caper AI for $350M (October 2021)"},{"label":"Financial stage","value":"Mature, publicly traded, revenue-generating"}],"aliases":["Maplebear"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":"CART","stockExchange":"NASDAQ","secCik":"0001579091","revenueUsd":"3742000000","revenueBasis":"reported","revenueAsOf":"2025-12-31T12:00:00.000Z","employeeCount":null,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-25T00:29:45.213Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-09T21:23:23.794Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"95d7a651-2df7-452e-9fb0-d2c52488908a","incidentId":"e766b681-c946-499e-8c86-db8685d4bf1d","url":"https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/12/instacart-pay-60-million-consumer-refunds-settle-ftc-lawsuit-over-allegations-it-engaged-deceptive","label":"Instacart to Pay $60 Million in Consumer Refunds to Settle FTC Lawsuit","publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"Instacart to Pay $60 Million in Consumer Refunds to Settle FTC Lawsuit","sourceName":null,"mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-07-18T12:46:34.007Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-18T12:46:34.007Z"},{"id":"c989d5d2-d7f2-4e2d-9011-95f94a4b2e87","incidentId":"e766b681-c946-499e-8c86-db8685d4bf1d","url":"https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/12/ftc-says-instacart-didnt-deliver-their-promises","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"The FTC says Instacart did not deliver on their promises","sourceName":"FTC Consumer Advice","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-10-03T17:38:08.516Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T17:38:08.516Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/instacart-ftc-settlement-2025","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/instacart-ftc-settlement-2025","headline":"FTC orders Instacart to pay $60M in consumer refunds for deceptive advertising and subscription practices","description":"The Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement requiring Instacart to pay $60 million in consumer refunds to settle allegations of deceptive tactics. The FTC alleged Instacart falsely advertised 'free delivery' while charging mandatory service fees up to 15% of order cost, falsely advertised a '100% satisfaction guarantee' while hiding refund options, and failed to clearly disclose Instacart+ membership enrollment terms, charging hundreds of thousands of consumers without express informed consent.","identifier":"e766b681-c946-499e-8c86-db8685d4bf1d","datePublished":"2025-12-18T00:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"regulatory action","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":2,"primary_source_types":["primary-ftc-filing"]}}}