Independent profile — not affiliated with Costco

Costco

Costco Wholesale Corporation is the Issaquah, Washington warehouse-club operator (Nasdaq: COST) that sells memberships, merchandise, tires, fuel and Kirkland Signature products in warehouses and on Costco.com. This page collects Costco's own membership, auto-renewal, return and contact pages, the 2025 EPA consent order and 2018 CPSC settlement, the pending tariff-refund, privacy and labeling class actions, the Washington email settlement, and 117 older posts from this site dated 2004 to 2013. Review-site figures are shown as displayed on October 3, 2026.

COMPLAINTS117
VERIFIED PHONE1-800-774-2678
LAST CHECKED2026-10-03
Write a Review Jump to complaints ↓
CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 117 historical complaints about Costco, published between 2004 and 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.

EDITORIAL

Complaint Themes

Customer service and staff conductReturns, refunds and membership refundsMembership card, renewal or cancellationCostco.com orders and deliveryTires and Tire CenterPharmacy, optical and foodRebates and promised reimbursements

Each tag reflects a complaint's single primary theme (not every angle it raised), and complaints outside any problem theme — a positive report, or one later retracted by its author — aren't tagged. Counts may total less than the full complaint count above.

EXTERNAL SOURCE

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

BBB: 279 reviews, 2511 complaints
ComplaintsBoard: 20 reviews, 2001 reports
Trustpilot: 3133 reviews,
VERIFIED

Contacts

VERIFIED

Locations

TypeAddress
Headquarters999 Lake Drive Issaquah WA 98027
EDITORIAL

Costco membership, returns, tires, recalls and messages using Costco's name: what Costco's own pages say

Costco's own pages, opened on October 3, 2026, set out the routes below. The 117 complaints posted on this site are from 2004 to 2013, so they may not reflect today's rules.

Membership fee, auto-renewal and refunds. Costco's membership page says: "On Membership: We will cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you are dissatisfied." Its Join page lists Gold Star at $65 a year and Executive at $130 a year, plus applicable sales tax. The Customer Service article on Auto Renewal (published August 12, 2026) says the card set up for Auto Renewal "will be charged on the first day of your renewal month". To cancel Auto Renewal, it says to use a membership counter, the membership account on Costco.com, chat with Member Services, or call 1-800-774-2678 "at least 72 hours prior to the first day of your renewal month". It also says that if Auto Renewal is removed within 48 hours of the renewal date, "your credit card on file will likely be charged. However, Costco will systematically refund the charge back to the card on file within two business days," and that for a membership that renewed automatically, "Refunds take approximately 5-7 business days to process." Costco's Auto Renewal Refund Request form adds: "receiving a refund for automatic renewal will result in your membership expiring at the end of the month unless you renew it at a Costco warehouse or on Costco.com." Another Costco help article, on membership changes, says membership downgrades and refunds are not handled by Live Chat or on Costco.com: "Simply stop by the membership desk of your local Costco or give our Membership Department a call at 1-800-774-2678." A separate article (published August 22, 2025) says a charge of about $65 or $130 on the first or second day of the month is most likely the automatic renewal.

Merchandise returns. Costco's return policy page says: "On Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, and will refund your purchase price*, with the following exceptions". The asterisk reads "Limitations apply. See the membership counter or Costco.com for details." Electronics have a 90-day window "from the date the member received the merchandise" for televisions, projectors, major appliances, computers, touchscreen tablets, smart wearable devices, cameras, drones, camcorders, MP3 players and cellular phones (the page adds that return details for phones vary by carrier service contract). The page also lists items that are not returnable or have special rules: custom products made to a member's specifications (except warranty repair or replacement), airline and live-performance event items, precious metals, Shop Cards, gift card and ticket items, cigarettes and alcohol where prohibited by law, and diamonds of 1.00 carat or larger (original paperwork required). It says products with a limited useful life, "such as tires and batteries, may be sold with a product-specific limited warranty."

Costco.com orders and price matching. Costco's page on online returns says an online order can be returned to any warehouse for an immediate refund, or returned or replaced through Orders & Returns on Costco.com; refunds include shipping and handling and go to the original payment method, and "You won't be charged for the return shipping." Its price-match page says purchases that go down in price within 30 days of the purchase date are eligible, that "Costco does not price match with other businesses or retailers", and that warehouse purchases are handled at the Returns counter of the warehouse where the item was bought.

Tire Center. Costco's tire site says: "Tire purchase includes installation at No charge. Additional member values included 5 year road hazard warranty, Rotation, Balancing, Inflation checks, Flat repairs, Nitrogen tire Inflation. Installation only available on tires purchased from Costco tire center by Costco members. Additional component costs, including TPMS service pack fees, may apply. Not available for all vehicles and/or tires. See the Road hazard warranty on Costco.com and the Tire Centre counter for details." Costco's Road Hazard Warranty page (opened October 3, 2026) says the warranty applies to the original purchaser who bought the tires from Costco Wholesale and presents the original purchase receipt and the tire to a Costco tire center; that the owner must rotate and balance the tires, keep inflation pressures as the vehicle manufacturer outlines, and sign a "Costco Wholesale tire adjustment form". It defines "Road hazard failure" as "a tire that becomes unserviceable due to cuts, non-repairable punctures or impact damage"; says "The warranty may not be available for certain vehicles and/or tires"; and says the warranty is "valid for 60 months from the date of purchase, or until the tire reaches 1.6 mm (2/32 of an inch) or less in remaining tread depth regardless of age, whichever occurs first". It describes the remedy as "a promise under certain conditions to give credit on a prorated basis towards the purchase of a new tire", with credit worked out by "multiplying the usable remaining tread by the price you paid for the tire net of all discounts received". Its list of what is not covered includes damage from vandalism, an accident or commercial use. Costco's Contact Us page says to reach a warehouse department such as the Tire Center or Pharmacy by finding and calling the nearest warehouse.

Contacts published by Costco (Contact Us page, published October 2, 2026).

  • Membership and Warehouse: 1-800-774-2678 (phone hours on the page: Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT).
  • Costco.com online orders and orders delivered by Costco Logistics: 1-800-955-2292 (Monday to Friday 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT, Saturday and Sunday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT).
  • Costco Business Center orders: 1-800-788-9968 (Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT).
  • Costco Technical & Warranty Services technical support: 1-866-861-0450 (Monday to Sunday 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT).
  • Costco Mail Order Pharmacy: 1-800-607-6861 (Monday to Friday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT, Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT). Costco Travel: 1-877-849-2730. The page also lists separate numbers for Costco Home Improvement installed products.

Costco Next. Costco's Costco Next Member Services page (published September 30, 2026) says: "Access to Costco Next store fronts is no longer available." It lists vendor contacts and says: "For eligible returns and warranty inquiries, contact the vendor directly." The page does not state a date for the change.

Recalls. Costco's Recalls & Product Notices page, as displayed on October 3, 2026, listed notices for Tylo and Watkins saunas, Mistolin and Lestoil cleaners (Puerto Rico only), the Goal Zero Yeti 3000x power station, a Panasonic NB-G200 toaster oven notice, a Desert Willow Sweet Bubba 18.9L notice (select locations) and the Titan Pro 40 Can cooler. Federal recalls of products sold by Costco are posted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission; for example, CPSC recall 26-068 (November 6, 2025) covered about 941,400 Kirkland Signature Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG bottles sold at Costco in 12 states, with the hazard stated as "The Prosecco bottles can break or shatter, posing a laceration hazard" and the remedy "Refund" (CPSC names F&F Fine Wines International, Inc., dba Ethica Wines, as importer). CPSC's remedy text reads: "Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bottles and not attempt to open them. Consumers should discard the recalled bottles in their household trash and contact Ethica Wines for instructions on how to obtain a full refund from Costco." CPSC lists Ethica Wines at 786-810-7132 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST) as the consumer contact. Product incidents can be reported at SaferProducts.gov.

Messages, calls and checks using Costco's name. Costco's "Currently Known Scams" page (published September 11, 2026) says of the examples it shows: "These offers are not from Costco Wholesale." It adds: "You should not visit any links provided in messages such as these, and you should not provide the sender any personal information." The page says Costco has been notified of calls "disguised as" its home-office number (425-313-8100), e-commerce number (800-955-2292) or membership number (800-774-2678) in which the caller says they are from the "Costco Chinese Member Service" and tells the person an account in China has been opened in their name with fraud activity. Costco's page says suspicious calls, emails and texts can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission and links a list of valid Costco email domains. Its "Preventing Fraud" page (published March 16, 2026) has a "Check Scam" section that says: "Do not deposit the check or follow the instructions you receive with it."

Other complaint routes. The Washington Attorney General's page says it accepts complaints from "Washington state residents, and to consumers with complaints about businesses located in Washington state", online, by mail or by phone (1.800.551.4636 in Washington only; 206.464.6684). Costco's 10-K says Citibank, N.A. is the exclusive issuer of co-branded credit cards to U.S. members; the CFPB's complaint page says it accepts complaints about credit cards (online or at (855) 411-2372).

EDITORIAL

Government actions: EPA (2025), CPSC (2018) and investigations Costco discloses (status as of October 3, 2026)

EPA, FIFRA (docket FIFRA-10-2025-0056, filed May 27, 2025). EPA Region 10 filed a Consent Agreement and Final Order with Costco Wholesale Corp. The agreement states an assessed penalty of $3,066,724. In it, "Respondent admits the jurisdictional allegations of this Consent Agreement" and "neither admits nor denies the specific factual allegations contained in this Consent Agreement." The allegations, with the counts as stated in the agreement (19-page PDF filed May 27, 2025), are that, at one store (Danville, California) between January 1, 2022 and May 2, 2023, Costco sold 2,093 units of Boss Antimicrobial Work Gloves that were treated with a registered antimicrobial pesticide but were not themselves registered with EPA; that on 108 occasions between November 11, 2021 and April 1, 2022 it sold Winix C545 air purifiers that EPA alleges were misbranded devices; that it failed to file Notices of Arrival for 106 import shipments of those devices between September 15, 2021 and April 1, 2022; and that, after an EPA Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Order dated March 16, 2022, it sold the devices 1,419 more times between June 29 and August 3, 2022. The Final Order takes effect on filing with the Regional Hearing Clerk. EPA's docket index lists the filing under the title "Costco Wholesale Corp FIFRA 10 2024 0056" and the docket number FIFRA-10-2025-0056; the agreement itself carries the docket number FIFRA-10-2025-0056. Costco's Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 describes the matter as settled "for an immaterial amount".

CPSC, Docket 19-C0001 (settlement agreement, 2018). The Consumer Product Safety Commission's staff alleged that Costco imported and sold about 367,000 EKO Sensible Eco Living 80-liter trash cans between December 2013 and May 2015 and, having received 92 complaints between December 2013 and May 2015 (60 of them from consumers who received injuries), did not notify the Commission immediately of a defect that could create a substantial product hazard (a plastic collar that can become dislodged and expose a sharp edge, posing a laceration hazard), thereby knowingly violating the Consumer Product Safety Act. The trash cans were recalled in July 2015. The agreement provides for a $3,850,000 civil penalty and states that it "does not constitute an admission by Costco or a determination by the Commission that Costco violated the CPSA's reporting requirements." Costco's response in the agreement says its safety committee "did not believe that Costco had a duty to notify CPSC" before May 2015 and that Costco "does not believe that it knowingly violated the CPSA". The copy checked did not show the date of the Commission's final order.

Investigations Costco discloses in SEC filings. Costco's filings state that it received civil investigative demands from the Washington Attorney General's Office on January 2 and August 22, 2024 and a pre-litigation letter from the Los Angeles County Counsel on January 3, 2024, related to the pharmacy-website tracking-pixel class actions described below; and a civil investigative demand from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington, in January 2023 for a False Claims Act investigation about claims relating to prescription medications. The filings give no outcome for these matters. In May 2024 Costco received a notice from EPA of intent to file an administrative complaint under FIFRA, which became the 2025 order above.

Data security. Costco's 10-K says "We and our third-party service and merchandise providers have experienced cybersecurity incidents and threats" and that, based on information available at the filing date, it was not aware of risks from actual incidents that had materially affected it. The California Attorney General's breach-notice list, searched for "costco" on October 3, 2026, returned one entry: "Costco Photo Center", breach date 06/19/2014, reported 09/23/2015.

No Federal Trade Commission or state attorney-general enforcement action against Costco was identified in the sources checked on October 3, 2026 (Costco's SEC filings and the agency documents above); that is not a search of every state agency.

EDITORIAL

Company background

Costco Wholesale Corporation is a Washington corporation with its principal executive offices at 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, Washington 98027, and its shares trade on Nasdaq under COST. Its Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (filed October 8, 2025) says the company and its subsidiaries "began operations in 1983, in Seattle, Washington" and that it operated 914 warehouses worldwide at August 31, 2025. Its September 24, 2026 press release says it operated 939 warehouses, 647 of them in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Per the 10-K, an annual membership is $65 in the U.S. (Gold Star and Business; all paid memberships include a free household card) and Executive members pay an additional $65, with Executive members earning a 2 percent reward on qualified purchases (generally up to $1,250 a year). The 10-K says Costco increased U.S. and Canada annual membership fees effective September 1, 2024, and reports 81.0 million paid members at the end of fiscal 2025 and renewal rates of 92.3 percent in the U.S. and Canada and 89.8 percent worldwide (company-reported figures). Costco also sells under its private-label brand Kirkland Signature, operates gas stations, pharmacies, optical and hearing-aid centers, food courts and tire installation at or near warehouses, and had 341,000 employees at the end of fiscal 2025, per the 10-K. Citibank, N.A. is described there as the exclusive issuer of co-branded credit cards to U.S. members.

Recent company events. Costco's press release of September 24, 2026 reported fiscal 2026 net sales of $297.2 billion and membership fees of $5,907 million (fiscal 2025: $5,323 million), and said fourth-quarter results included "a non-recurring benefit of $0.15 per diluted share from IEEPA tariff refunds received in the quarter, less partial reinvestment of those refunds in increased member values." Axios reported on March 5, 2026 that Costco said it would return any recovered tariff charges to members through lower prices and better values. The release describes the tariff refunds as partly reinvested "in increased member values"; it does not describe payments to members. Quartz, summarizing the September 24 investor call as reported by the Wall Street Journal, reported that Costco received $184 million of IEEPA tariff refunds in the quarter, that the chief executive said some of it was reinvested in price reductions on everyday staples, produce, meat, beverages and certain non-food items, and that the chief financial officer said payments received so far were slightly more than one-third of what Costco anticipates collecting in its fiscal first quarter; those call figures come from news coverage, not from the release.

Costco's investor news page, opened October 3, 2026, lists a June sales release with a quarterly dividend announcement (July 8), July sales results (August 5), August sales results (September 2) and the fourth-quarter and fiscal year results (September 24), and no later release. The SEC EDGAR filing list for Costco showed no Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 on October 3, 2026; the latest 10-K listed was filed October 8, 2025.

EDITORIAL

Complaint record: USAComplaints posts, BBB, Trustpilot and ComplaintsBoard, reported separately

Posts on this site. USAComplaints.com has 117 approved posts whose offender field names Costco itself (Costco, Costco Wholesale, Costco Wholesale Corp, Costco.com, the Tire Center, a warehouse, gas, pharmacy or food court); they are dated 2004 to 2013 (2004: 1, 2005: 3, 2006: 2, 2007: 9, 2008: 31, 2009: 14, 2010: 17, 2011: 16, 2012: 18, 2013: 6) and are posters' accounts that this site has not verified. Another 18 posts are linked as non-primary because they concern kiosks and programs operated with other companies at or through Costco, and 19 are linked as non-primary because they concern co-branded Costco charge or credit cards and mainly name the card issuers. Posts about third-party offers or messages using the Costco name, about other businesses, about named individuals, or that were not consumer complaints were not linked (42 of the 196 candidates). Using keyword matching on the 117 posts (a post can match several), the labels below are counts of posts mentioning each topic; some posts are favorable.

External profiles, as displayed on October 3, 2026 (each reported separately and not combined):

  • BBB (profile for Costco, Headquarters, Issaquah, WA): rating A+; BBB states the business is not BBB Accredited; 2,511 total complaints in the last 3 years and 881 closed in the last 12 months; 1.21/5 from an average of 279 customer reviews (BBB says customer reviews are not used in the letter grade). BBB says the profile covers headquarters and corporate-owned locations.
  • Trustpilot (www.costco.com): unclaimed profile; 2.7/5 from 3,133 reviews, 436 of them in the last 12 months; Trustpilot says the company has not invited customers, so reviews may not be representative.
  • ComplaintsBoard: 1.3 from 20 reviews and 2001 complaints; the business profile is not claimed. The figures count what users chose to submit to that site, and this site has not verified them.
EDITORIAL

Lawsuits: Washington email settlement, tariff-refund suits, pharmacy-website privacy case and Kirkland Signature labeling

Lawsuits describe plaintiffs' allegations unless a court has ruled; Costco denies wrongdoing where stated below. This section follows Costco's SEC filings (Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended May 10, 2026) and the dockets cited.

Washington email settlement (Aaland v. Costco). The settlement website says the suit alleges Costco sent Washington residents commercial emails with false or misleading subject lines; "Defendant does not admit to any wrongdoing" and that, if the settlement is approved by the court, Costco will pay $14 million to resolve the claims of the class of Washington residents who received a Costco commercial email from June 2, 2021 through July 7, 2026; the site says payments follow only if the settlement is approved and becomes final. The claim, opt-out and objection deadline was August 24, 2026 (passed). The final approval hearing was set for October 2, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. (a "Stipulation and Order Continuing Final Approval Hearing" on the site's Case Documents page moved it from September 18, 2026). The hearing date has passed, but the settlement website still described the hearing as scheduled when opened on October 3, 2026, and no approval order was posted there; no source opened on that date showed the result of the hearing.

Tariff-refund suits. Costco's 10-Q says four class actions were filed in March 2026 seeking a refund of IEEPA tariffs that Costco paid and allegedly passed on to members through higher prices: Stockov (N.D. Ill.), Gower (King County Superior Court), Ortiz (D.P.R.) and Briggs (W.D. Wash.), alleging violations of state consumer-protection laws and equitable doctrines, and that Costco filed motions to dismiss in Stockov and Gower. In Stockov the docket shows Costco's motion to dismiss under Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) filed May 18, 2026 and fully briefed by August 12, 2026, with no ruling on that motion on the docket opened October 3, 2026 (newest entry September 30, 2026). The docket also lists an amended motion for transfer and centralization under 28 U.S.C. Section 1407 (entry 30, received August 25, 2026) and a further such motion (entry 31, received September 30, 2026). Costco's statements about passing on recovered tariffs are in the company background section.

Pharmacy-website privacy case (Castillo). Plaintiffs allege Costco installed the Meta Pixel and other tracking technologies on its pharmacy website and shared customers' health information without disclosure. On November 14, 2024 the court denied Costco's motion to dismiss as to the Wiretap Act, Washington Consumer Protection Act, Washington Uniform Health Care Information Act, California Invasion of Privacy Act, California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, Florida Security of Communications Act and unjust enrichment claims, and dismissed four other claims without prejudice. Costco answered the complaint on December 20, 2024. The CourtListener docket opened on October 3, 2026 shows that plaintiffs filed a sealed motion to certify a class on July 2, 2026; that Costco filed a motion for sanctions on May 29, 2026 (plaintiffs' opposition is titled a response to Costco's "Motion for Spoliation Sanctions Pursuant to Rule 37"); and that, under an August 14, 2026 order, Costco's opposition to class certification was due September 25, 2026 and plaintiffs' reply October 30, 2026. The docket also lists nine entries dated September 25, 2026 (entries 117 to 125: one titled as a reply brief and eight sealed motions or documents) whose contents are not public. The docket shows no ruling on class certification or on the sanctions motion. A related case (Birdwell, Contra Costa County) was dismissed with prejudice in March 2026, per the 10-Q.

Kirkland Signature tequila labeling (Salisbury). Plaintiffs allege Kirkland Signature tequila labeled "100% de Agave" contains alcohol from non-agave sugars. The docket shows an amended complaint on March 9, 2026 and Costco's motion to dismiss on April 21, 2026, with Mexican regulations attached. On September 9, 2026 the court issued a minute order saying that a non-party entity, "including the Government of Mexico", that wishes to offer its views must do so as amicus curiae through local counsel. At a hearing on September 15, 2026 the court heard oral argument on the motion to dismiss and a related motion for judicial notice and, per the minute entry, "takes the matters under advisement"; a transcript was noticed on September 28, 2026. The CourtListener docket opened October 3, 2026 (newest entry September 28) shows no ruling. A Florida case (Glazer) was dismissed without prejudice.

Baby wipes (Bullard). A 2024 class action alleged Kirkland Signature baby wipes contained PFAS, which the 10-K (filed October 2025) described as pending. The court denied a motion to dismiss on May 14, 2025; on November 17, 2025 the plaintiff filed a stipulation of voluntary dismissal with prejudice and the case was closed on November 18, 2025.

Other matters in Costco's filings, briefly. The 10-Q also describes wage-and-hour class and PAGA actions in California and Washington (for example Reyes, E.D. Cal. No. 2:24-cv-00300; Madera and Howell, King County) and opioid litigation (MDL No. 2804), in which Costco says it is defending the remaining claims. Costco says it does not believe any pending matter will have a material adverse effect.

California Proposition 65 record. The California Attorney General's Proposition 65 index, record 2023-00357, lists Costco Wholesale Corporation and Fly by Jing, Inc. as alleged violators in a notice dated February 7, 2023 about lead in Sichuan Chili Crisp, and shows a private plaintiff's civil complaint (Berj Parseghian v. Fly by Jing, Inc., et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court No. 24STCV02895, claim type "Failure to Warn") filed February 5, 2024. The record's corrected settlement entry, dated February 7, 2025, describes injunctive relief directed to Fly by Jing, Inc.; this page does not state any settlement terms as to Costco.

EDITORIAL

Is Costco Legitimate?

Costco Wholesale Corporation files annual and quarterly reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 filed October 8, 2025; Form 10-Q for the quarter ended May 10, 2026 filed June 3, 2026) and its common stock trades on Nasdaq as COST. Its filings give its address as 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, Washington 98027. BBB displays the headquarters profile with an A+ rating and says the business is not BBB Accredited; Trustpilot shows the profile as unclaimed. The government orders and lawsuits above are described as the primary documents state them; complaints and lawsuit claims are allegations, and settlements and orders cited include the parties' own admission language. Costco says its satisfaction guarantee covers membership and merchandise, subject to the listed exceptions.

PUBLIC RECORD

Court & Public Records

CaseAuthorityDatesTypeOutcomeSource
Aaland v. Costco Wholesale Corporation (Washington commercial email subject lines)
Docket No. 25-2-16392-0		Superior Court of Washington, King County—FiledFiled — no final outcome recorded

Proposed class settlement: if approved by the court, Costco will pay $14 million for Washington residents who received a Costco commercial email from June 2, 2021 through July 7, 2026. The settlement website says "Defendant does not admit to any wrongdoing". Claim, opt-out and objection deadline August 24, 2026; final approval hearing set for October 2, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. A stipulation and order on the site moved the hearing from September 18, 2026. The hearing date has passed; the site still described the hearing as scheduled on October 3, 2026 and posted no approval order.

Source
Stockov v. Costco Wholesale Corporation (IEEPA tariff-refund class action)
Docket No. 1:26-cv-02734		U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill.FiledFiled — no final outcome recorded

Putative class action alleging Costco passed IEEPA tariff costs on to members and should share any refund (Judge Seeger). Costco moved to dismiss under Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) on May 18, 2026; the motion was briefed through a sur-reply on August 12, 2026. The docket opened on October 3, 2026 (newest entry September 30) shows no ruling on the motion to dismiss, and lists an amended motion for transfer and centralization under 28 U.S.C. Section 1407 (entry 30, received August 25, 2026) and a further such motion (entry 31, received September 30, 2026). No ruling on the motion to dismiss appeared on the docket opened October 3, 2026. Costco's 10-Q lists three other tariff-refund class actions (Gower, King County; Ortiz, D.P.R.; Briggs, W.D. Wash.).

Source
Castillo v. Costco Wholesale Corporation (pharmacy website tracking technologies)
Docket No. 2:23-cv-01548		U.S. District Court, W.D. Wash.FiledFiled — no final outcome recorded

Consolidated putative class action (with R.S. and Groves) alleging the Meta Pixel and other tracking technologies on Costco's pharmacy website shared customers' health information. On November 14, 2024 (Judge Chun) the court denied the motion to dismiss as to the Wiretap Act, WCPA, WUHCIA, CIPA, CMIA, FSCA and unjust enrichment claims and dismissed the WPA, invasion-of-privacy, implied-contract and conversion claims without prejudice. Costco answered on December 20, 2024. Plaintiffs filed a sealed class-certification motion on July 2, 2026; Costco's opposition was due September 25, 2026 and plaintiffs' reply October 30, 2026 (August 14, 2026 order); Costco's May 29, 2026 motion for sanctions is also on the docket, and nine entries dated September 25, 2026 (entries 117 to 125, a reply brief and sealed filings) are listed without public contents. No ruling on either appeared on the docket opened October 3, 2026. Costco's 10-Q describes the case as pending.

Source
Salisbury v. Costco Wholesale Corporation (Kirkland Signature tequila labeling)
Docket No. 2:25-cv-02277		U.S. District Court, W.D. Wash.FiledFiled — no final outcome recorded

Putative class action alleging Kirkland Signature tequila labeled "100% de Agave" contains alcohol derived from non-agave sugars (Judge Evanson). Amended complaint filed March 9, 2026; Costco's motion to dismiss filed April 21, 2026 with Mexican standards attached. Oral argument was held September 15, 2026 and, per the minute entry, the court took the matters under advisement; the CourtListener docket opened October 3, 2026 (newest entry September 28) shows no ruling.

Source
Bullard v. Costco Wholesale Corp. and Nice-Pak Products, Inc. (Kirkland Signature baby wipes, PFAS)
Docket No. 3:24-cv-03714		U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal.DismissedDismissed

The court denied the motion to dismiss on May 14, 2025. On November 17, 2025 the plaintiff filed a stipulation of voluntary dismissal with prejudice and the case was terminated on November 18, 2025. The docket does not state the reason for the dismissal.

Source
CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Related Complaints

Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.

EDITORIAL

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cancel my Costco membership or turn off auto-renewal, and can I get a refund?

Costco's membership page says: "On Membership: We will cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you are dissatisfied." Its auto-renewal article says Auto Renewal can be removed at a membership counter, in the membership account on Costco.com, by chat or by calling 1-800-774-2678 at least 72 hours before the first day of the renewal month, and that a membership that renewed automatically can be refunded, with refunds taking "approximately 5-7 business days to process". Costco's refund request form says that "receiving a refund for automatic renewal will result in your membership expiring at the end of the month unless you renew it at a Costco warehouse or on Costco.com." The details and quotes are in the first section above.

What is a $65 or $130 charge from Costco on my card?

Costco's help article says a charge of approximately $65 or $130 around the first or second day of the month is most likely the automatic renewal of a membership: $65 for a standard Gold Star or Business membership and $130 for an Executive membership, before applicable sales tax. The article (published August 22, 2025) links to a refund request for memberships that renewed automatically.

What is Costco's return policy for electronics and other items?

Costco's return policy page says it guarantees satisfaction on "every product we sell" and will refund the purchase price with listed exceptions, and that "Limitations apply". Electronics such as televisions, major appliances, computers, tablets, cameras, drones and cellular phones can be returned within 90 days from the date the member received them. Items that are not returnable or have special rules (custom orders, Shop Cards, gift card and ticket items, airline and live-performance event items, precious metals, alcohol and cigarettes where prohibited by law, large diamonds) are listed on the page.

How do I return or replace a Costco.com order, and does Costco price match?

Costco's help article says an online order can be returned to any warehouse for an immediate refund including shipping and handling, or returned or replaced through Orders & Returns on Costco.com, with a return label within the hour (some items need additional processing time) and no charge for return shipping. For price changes, Costco's price-match page covers purchases that go down in price within 30 days of purchase and says Costco does not price match other retailers.

How do I contact Costco about an order, a membership or the Tire Center?

Costco's Contact Us page (published October 2, 2026) lists 1-800-955-2292 for Costco.com online orders and Costco Logistics deliveries (Monday to Friday 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT, Saturday and Sunday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT), 1-800-774-2678 for Membership and Warehouse (Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT), 1-800-788-9968 for Costco Business Center orders, 1-866-861-0450 for technical and warranty support and 1-800-607-6861 for the Mail Order Pharmacy. It says to reach warehouse departments such as the Tire Center or Pharmacy by finding and calling the nearest Costco.

What is the $14 million Costco email settlement and has it been paid?

The settlement website for Aaland v. Costco Wholesale Corporation (King County, No. 25-2-16392-0) says that, if the court approves the settlement, Costco will pay $14 million to resolve claims that it sent Washington residents commercial emails with false or misleading subject lines, and that "Defendant does not admit to any wrongdoing". The claim deadline of August 24, 2026 has passed. The final approval hearing was set for October 2, 2026 (continued from September 18 by a stipulation and order posted on the site); that date has passed, and the site still described the hearing as scheduled on October 3, 2026 with no approval order posted; the settlement site says payments follow only if the settlement is approved and becomes final.

Are there lawsuits asking Costco to share tariff refunds with members?

Costco's 10-Q reports four class actions filed in March 2026 (Stockov, Gower, Ortiz and Briggs) seeking a refund of IEEPA tariffs allegedly passed on to members, and says it has moved to dismiss Stockov and Gower. Costco's September 24, 2026 press release says it received IEEPA tariff refunds in the fourth quarter and made a "partial reinvestment of those refunds in increased member values". The cases are allegations and were pending when checked.

What government actions involve Costco?

The documents checked show an EPA consent agreement and final order filed May 27, 2025 with a $3,066,724 penalty, in which Costco "neither admits nor denies the specific factual allegations", and a 2018 CPSC settlement agreement with a $3,850,000 civil penalty that states it is not an admission. Costco's SEC filings also disclose civil investigative demands from the Washington Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington with no stated outcome. Details are in the government actions section above.

How can I tell whether a text, email or check claiming to be from Costco is real?

Costco's "Currently Known Scams" page (published September 11, 2026) shows examples and says of them "These offers are not from Costco Wholesale." Its Preventing Fraud page says Costco emails come from a Costco.com domain and, about unexpected checks bearing Costco's trademark, says: "Do not deposit the check or follow the instructions you receive with it." Costco's page says suspicious calls, emails and texts can be reported to the FTC, and that people "should not visit any links provided in messages such as these" or "provide the sender any personal information"; it also describes calls "disguised as" Costco's own phone numbers.