Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over Slower Prime Deliveries in Two D.C. ZIP Codes
D.C. Attorney General accuses Amazon of failing to disclose delivery changes in majority-Black neighborhoods, citing consumer protection violations.
Overview
- The lawsuit alleges Amazon secretly excluded two predominantly Black, low-income ZIP codes in Washington, D.C., from its fastest Prime delivery service since mid-2022.
- Residents in the affected areas, ZIP codes 20019 and 20020, experienced a drop in two-day delivery rates from 72% in 2021 to 24% in 2023, despite paying the full Prime membership fee.
- Amazon cites driver safety concerns, including targeted crimes, as the reason for outsourcing deliveries in these neighborhoods to slower third-party services like UPS and USPS.
- The lawsuit claims Amazon misled customers by not informing them of the delivery changes and deceptively attributing delays to general shipping issues.
- D.C.'s Attorney General seeks restitution for affected customers, civil penalties, and an injunction to prevent further deceptive practices.