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.
Amazon won’t even deliver to my apartment. They just leave shit out in front of the building
They had attacks on their drivers.
DC wants them to warn customers that that can’t get the full service depending on zip but imagine what the next headline reads. Probably something like: “Amazon’s racist policy disproportionately excludes black zip codes from Prime delivery service”.
Fucked if they do, fucked if they don’t.
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.
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?
True. And they should.
Doesn’t change the next headline. “Amazon refuses to sell Prime delivery to black people”.
And the drivers wouldn’t get attacked if they didn’t deliver packages as quickly? That makes no sense.
Reading helps.
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
You’re right, I didn’t read this time. I usually do, but this time I am guilty.
Also, just risking other drivers instead of your own is supremely shitty of them.
Listen, fuck Amazon, and fuck racism, and I’m not doing a hail corporate here- but did they really stop delivering because residents were black? Or for other reasons? Because making something a race issue that is instead a liability or crime issue hurts everyone.
I’d guess at least half the time a company or politician says a problem with a city or neighborhood is its crime rate they’re talking about black people living there.
The people of the US (and the majority of the world) are currently enjoying the lowest rates of violent crime in recorded history. Yep even in those scary cities.
Even if it is higher crime there it doesn’t seem fair that they pay for fast delivery but don’t get it. If you pay for prime you should get 2 day shipping.
From the article:
The district says that in 2021, before Amazon implemented its delivery “exclusion,” more than 72% of Prime packages in the impacted ZIP codes were delivered within two days. But last year, it was only 24%, according to the complaint.
Meanwhile, the district’s lawsuit says Prime members who lived in other parts of the city received two-day deliveries 75% of the time. Amazon was also improving its delivery speeds nationwide.
When some customers in the city complained about the slower deliveries, Amazon concealed the true reason for the delays and “deceptively implied” that the delays “were simply due to natural fluctuations in shipping circumstances, rather than an affirmative decision by Amazon,” the lawsuit says.
Yeah that’s a good point- at minimum they should just stop offering prime there then. I’d be pretty pissed :/
for reference, the affected areas are most of the district on the other side of the anacostia; pretty much everything east of the green line on that side of the river.
