Amazon is accused of slowing deliveries to two predominantly Black zip codes in Washington, D.C., while still charging for memberships that promise fast-delivery benefits, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The complaint, filed in District of Columbia Superior Court, claims Amazon secretly stopped offering Prime delivery services (same-day, one-day and two-day) to residents of 20019 and 20020 — zip codes where Black people make up the majority of the households.
The lawsuit alleges Amazon started relying entirely on third-party delivery partners, like UPS and USPS, to service those two areas in mid-2022. In the last two years, the amount of Prime packages delivered within two days have dropped from roughly 72% to 24%, the suit claims.
The D.C. attorney general’s office says Amazon did not tell new or existing customers about losing one of the biggest draws of Prime membership.
“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,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a statement. “While Amazon has every right to make operational changes, it cannot covertly decide that a dollar in one zip code is worth less than a dollar in another.”
Amazon countered that the change was made to protect its workers.
“There have been specific and targeted acts against drivers delivering Amazon packages,” spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. “We made the deliberate choice to adjust our operations, including delivery routes and times, for the sole reason of protecting the safety of drivers.”
“The claims made by the attorney general, that our business practices are somehow discriminatory or deceptive, are categorically false,” Nantel added.
