Overview
- A higher regional court in Düsseldorf upheld a prior ruling that Amazon’s 2022 Prime fee increases relied on an invalid clause granting unilateral price changes without transparent criteria or explicit customer consent.
- The decision is not yet final, as the panel permitted an appeal to the Federal Court of Justice, and Amazon says it is reviewing the judgment and considering further legal steps.
- On the back of the ruling, the consumer group in North Rhine-Westphalia plans a representative action and advises affected Prime members that they can request repayment of overcharges.
- The 2022 increases lifted the annual fee from €69 to €89.90 and the monthly rate from €7.99 to €8.99; consumer advocates estimate refunds up to about €62.70 for annual payers and roughly €28 for monthly payers.
- In a related precedent abroad, Amazon in Austria agreed to compensate Prime users on request after a case brought by the Chamber of Labour.