Amazon is being sued by the District of Columbia for offering slower delivery service to customers in two low-income areas, including shoppers who pay $139 a year for Prime membership.
Customers in zip codes 20019 and 20020 pay higher Prime membership fees for shipping services that typically take one to two days.
But for the past two years, most Amazon Prime packages have taken up to a week to arrive. According to the complaint.
That's because the Seattle-based e-commerce giant made a strategic decision to remove its Prime delivery vans from ZIP codes in 2022, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the District of Columbia's attorney general.
Instead, Amazon relies on slower third-party delivery services, such as UPS or the U.S. Postal Service, in these areas, with what the company internally calls “delivery exclusions,” according to the complaint. It is said that there is
In 2021, before Amazon's “exclude” policy, more than 72% of Prime packages were delivered within two days within ZIP codes. But last year, it was just 24%, according to the complaint.
“Why does Prime delivery take up to 7 days when I use an address of 20020? According to the complaint, when I use an address of 21403, delivery takes two days,” one angry customer wrote to Amazon. I wrote it.
Amazon did not dispute that packages would take longer to arrive in these areas, but did so after a spike in crimes such as carjackings, vehicle thefts, armed robberies, assaults, and gun violence in these areas. He said that he had changed his policy.
Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in a statement that “the ZIP codes in question are experiencing specific targeting of drivers who deliver Amazon packages.” “We have made the conscious choice to adjust our operations, including delivery routes and delivery times, for the sole reason of keeping our drivers safe.”
“The Attorney General's assertion that our business practices are in any way discriminatory or deceptive is completely false. Although we want to be able to deliver to every zip code across the country as quickly as possible, At the same time, we must prioritize the safety of our delivery drivers,” Nantel added.
Many customers in these “excluded” ZIP codes rely on Amazon Prime for basic necessities such as groceries and childcare supplies, the AG's complaint alleges.
Other upset customers also accused Amazon of discrimination, saying, “It has nothing to do with the racial and socio-economic disparities that happen to coincide with the delivery disparities.”
The average income in these areas is $48,106.
“Amazon is charging tens of thousands of hard-working residents of the 7th and 8th wards for expedited delivery services it promises but never delivers. We have every right to make changes, but we cannot secretly determine that a dollar in one ZIP code is worth less than a dollar in another ZIP code,” Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a statement.
Schwalb also accused Amazon of “escalating its deception” and blaming “other circumstances” for delivery delays when customers complained.
Nantel said in a statement that Amazon is “always transparent” about when packages arrive during the checkout process.
