Amazon Prime Day is “rife with fake sales,” lawsuit alleges
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Misleading Discounts During Prime Day Sale
Two consumers have filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of deceiving customers with false discounts during its recent Prime Day sale. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington state, alleges that Amazon used inflated list prices to calculate percentage discounts, making the deals appear more attractive than they actually were.
Plaintiffs Cathy Armstrong from California and Oluwa Fosudo from Maryland claim that Amazon employed deceptive tactics during the four-day Prime Day event, which took place from July 8 to 11. One example cited in the lawsuit is a pair of headphones advertised as being 44% off a list price of $179.95. However, the plaintiffs allege that the actual list price for the headphones has always been lower, ranging from $130 to $160, making the discount misleading.
Another instance mentioned in the lawsuit involves an 8-inch Android tablet for kids listed as “40% off” with a strikethrough list price of $119.99. The plaintiffs argue that the tablet was previously sold between $50 and $85 in the months leading up to Prime Day, rendering the discount less significant than advertised.
The lawsuit accuses Amazon of using these fake discounts to entice consumers to make purchases under the time pressure of Prime Day, preventing them from seeking better prices elsewhere. The plaintiffs claim that they would have shopped around for better deals if not for Amazon’s misleading practices.
The legal team representing the plaintiffs declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. The lawsuit was filed following a report by Popular Information, highlighting Amazon’s allegedly deceptive tactics during Prime Day.
Amazon has not provided a statement regarding the lawsuit. The company touts its recent Prime Day sale as the biggest yet, stating that customers saved billions on deals. Amazon recently settled a separate case with the Federal Trade Commission, agreeing to pay $2.5 billion for misleading customers about Prime memberships.
