Target Accused of Marketing Carrier-Tied iPhones as ‘Unlocked’

Target Corp. was hit with a new proposed class action alleging that the retail giant deceptively marketed Apple iPhones for sale as being “unlocked” when in fact they weren’t, requiring customers to pay additional fees to use them on alternate carriers.

The complaint, filed Thursday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, says Target misled consumers by advertising and selling iPhones as “unlocked,” indicating they could be used on any carrier’s network.

However, named plaintiff Jonathan Payton alleged that he went to a Target store in Manhattan’s Union Square in response to an ad for ...