But then I'm paying hundreds or thousands of dollars of my time for maybe a few hundred dollars gain. Sure, it's more expensive for them in absolute terms, but it's more expensive for me in relative terms. Not going to get hundreds of people to do this. A class-action lawsuit can actually be positive EV for everyone involved.

(Actually, I don't know whom they'd send -- I think, for small claims court, they have to send a paralegal rather than a lawyer.)