Anthony Yates
Many online shoppers keep a close eye on Amazon Prime Day for the chance to snag a good deal. However, a pair of consumers is taking the online retail juggernaut to court, claiming their hot sales may not be as good as they seem.
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What happened: According to a report by LA Mag, two consumers claim Amazon promoted “fake sales” in their Prime Day event in the Summer.
- The outlet explains that Amazon held the event from July 8-11. During that time, many items on the website featured a red tag along with a percentage discount, which the company crossed out.
- The complaint blasts the retailer’s sales tactics. “Amazon uses these fake Prime Day Percentage Discounts, offered under the extreme time pressure of the brief Prime Day window, to lure consumers to purchase products,” it reportedly claims.
- Per CBS News, the lawsuit filed in a federal court in Washington last month accuses Amazon of using “fictional” prices to make deals seem better than they actually were.
The Consumers Reveal Several Examples To Support Their Allegations
Bringing the receipts: The complaint reveals several examples of price changes, including electrical goods.
- One pair of headphones reportedly showed a list price of $179.75. The Prime Day Deal notice declared a sale of off 44%. However, the consumers state that those headphones have always had a lower price between $130 and $160. “Amazon’s list price is thus an inflated fiction,” the complaint concurs.
- The complaint cites another product, a kid’s Android tablet. In this example, a picture shows the item’s list price as $119.99 with a bright red 40% Prime Day Deal sticker reducing the cost to $72.18. The complaint states that $119.99 was never the list price within 90 days of the Prime Day Deal. In fact, the lawsuit claims Amazon offered that same tablet between $50 and $85 during that period.
- Per CBS News, Amazon agreed to a legal settlement of $2.5 billion in September amid claims it misled customers into signing up for Amazon Prime. It also claimed it made it difficult for existing members to cancel the subscription.
