The District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the tech giant of halting its fastest delivery service to residents of two predominantly Black neighborhoods without informing them. The lawsuit centers around Amazon's Prime membership, which promises fast deliveries for an annual fee of $139 or a monthly fee of $14.99.
According to the complaint, Amazon implemented a delivery exclusion in two low-income zip codes in mid-2022, redirecting deliveries to third-party services due to concerns about driver safety. The affected zip codes, 20019 and 20020, experienced slower deliveries without prior notice to Prime members residing there.
The District of Columbia's attorney general's office alleges that Amazon failed to disclose the delivery changes to existing or new Prime members in the affected areas. The lawsuit claims that Amazon's actions disproportionately impacted hard-working residents of Ward 7 and 8, who heavily rely on Amazon due to limited local services and retail options.
Before the delivery exclusion, over 72% of Prime packages in the impacted zip codes were delivered within two days. However, after the change, this rate dropped to 24%, while Prime members in other parts of the city continued to receive timely deliveries 75% of the time.
The district is seeking an order to prevent Amazon from engaging in unfair practices and is requesting restitution for affected Prime members, along with civil penalties. Amazon, on the other hand, maintains that the safety of delivery drivers was its primary concern and denies any discriminatory intent.
Amazon has offered to collaborate with the attorney general's office to enhance safety in the affected areas while emphasizing its commitment to providing accurate delivery times. This legal dispute marks the second major conflict between Amazon and the District of Columbia, following an antitrust lawsuit previously filed by the district.
