Amazon UK could be forced to pay out £900 million to customers if consumer-rights champion Julie Hunter gets her way in a legal claim being made, according to BBC News. The action is being taken by a group of people led by Hunter and is due to be filed by the end of the month. The group claims Amazon obfuscated better deals, which violates UK and EU competition law.
Those taking the action believe that Amazon has used a particular design to attract customers to buy items from certain sellers, even if other sellers had identical items at a lower price. They say that people trust Amazon and rarely buy the products that haven"t been recommended by the e-commerce giant. If the group wins the case, anyone in the UK who has made a purchase on Amazon since October 2016 will be eligible for some of the money.
Amazon is very unlikely to let this case go ahead without a challenge. Speaking to the BBC, a spokesperson from the company said:
“This claim is without merit and we"re confident that will become clear through the legal process. Amazon has always focused on supporting the 85,000 businesses that sell their products on our UK store - and more than half of all physical product sales on our UK store are from independent selling partners. We always work to feature offers that provide customers with low prices and fast delivery.”
A third party, David Green from the London Solicitors Litigation Association, told the BBC that it’s not easy to predict how this case will pan out, but he did warn that Amazon is well-resourced to fight it at all of the stages.
Source: BBC News