The District of Columbia sued Amazon on Wednesday, alleging the company secretly stopped providing its fastest delivery service to residents of two predominantly Black neighborhoods while still charging millions of dollars for a membership that promises the benefit.

The complaint filed in District of Columbia Superior Court revolves around Amazon’s Prime membership, which costs consumers $139 per year or $14.99 per month for fast deliveries — including one-day, two-day and same-day shipments — along with other enhancements.

In mid-2022, the lawsuit alleges, the Seattle-based online retailer imposed what it called a delivery “exclusion” on two low-income ZIP codes in the district — 20019 and 20020 — and began relying exclusively on third-party delivery services such as UPS and the U.S. Postal Service, rather than its own delivery systems.

  • FooBarrington@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    20 days ago

    Did they refund the Prime subscription of these residents, or otherwise make up for unfulfilled promises?

    They’d certainly be less fucked if they stopped stealing from their minority customers.

    • capital@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      15
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      20 days ago

      True. And they should.

      Doesn’t change the next headline. “Amazon refuses to sell Prime delivery to black people”.

      • piccolo@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        20 days ago

        If only there was something a multibillion dollar company could do to improve the situation… nothing?

    • GBU_28@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      20 days ago

      That would be best, but you can have multiple addresses in your acct. So say, if you happily used your acct at other addresses, then input an address in a risky zone, what should they do? Fractionally discount you at the end of the year maybe for that purchase vs all other purchases? Offer you to cancel at a prorate?