E-commerce giant allegedly excludes some 48K Amazon Prime subscribers in 2 D.C. areas despite getting full subscription price
Amazon is facing a lawsuit for the alleged exclusion of two neighborhoods in Washington D.C. from its fast Prime Delivery service, despite charging users based in the area, according to the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia on Wednesday.
Attorney General Brian Schwalb claimed that Amazon has been “secretly” excluding the two ZIP codes, 20019 and 20020, from its Amazon Prime fast delivery service, while 48,000 Prime subscribers live in the area, paying the full price of the subscription.
The Attorney General's Office said that Amazon made an internal decision in June 2022 “to stop using its fleet of branded trucks to make Prime deliveries” to the two D.C. neighborhoods.
It noted that Amazon's exclusion results in significantly longer delivery times to the two neighborhoods compared to other District ZIP codes, while paying for the same $14.99 per month subscription.
It added that Amazon allegedly deceives its customers in the area by allegedly not disclosing the exclusion as cause of shipping delays.
“Amazon is charging tens of thousands of hard-working Ward 7 and 8 residents for an expedited delivery service it promises but does not provide,” said Schwalb. “We're suing to stop this deceptive conduct and make sure District residents get what they're paying for.”
