Amazon Offers to Fight Crime, Not on Its Platform But in the District of Columbia No Less
December 10, 2024
This blog is created by a dinobaby and his helpers who are neither AI nor dinobabies. If there is fancy art, please, assume that smart software contributed. Dinobabies can barely think let alone draw.
Amazon has been busy explaining how its smart software will make Alexa Live Again! Meanwhile some legal eagles have been dropping documents on the digital bookstore and its happy, happy employees and contractors. This news reached me via the for-sale outfit CNBC, a talking heads program on “real” TV. “Amazon Sued by DC Attorney General for Allegedly Excluding Neighborhoods from Prime Delivery” reports what may be obvious to anyone who has worked in the District of Columbia or gone for a late night walk alone on a hot summer evening in some interesting parts of the District. Oh, the slogan for the DC entity is “Taxation without Representation.”
Senior professionals for a high-technology company reach consensus. The giant firm will help law enforcement address certain issues. Thanks, MidJourney. Good enough.
The CNBC story says:
Washington, D.C.’s attorney general sued Amazon on Wednesday [yep, CNBC, that was December 4, 2024], accusing the company of covertly depriving residents in certain ZIP codes in the nation’s capital from access to Prime’s high-speed delivery. The lawsuit from AG Brian Schwalb alleges that, since 2022, Amazon has “secretly excluded” two “historically underserved” D.C. ZIP codes from its expedited delivery service while charging Prime members living there the full subscription price. Amazon’s Prime membership program costs $139 a year and includes perks like two-day shipping and access to streaming content.
The idea is that a DC resident pays $139 a year to get “Prime” treatment only to get the shaft; that is, no delivery for you, pilgrim.
Amazon took time out from its Alexa Lives Again! activities to issue a statement. According to the “real” news source a really happy Amazon professional allegedly said:
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement it’s “categorically false” that its business practices are “discriminatory or deceptive.” “We want to be able to deliver as fast as we possibly can to every zip code across the country, however, at the same time we must put the safety of delivery drivers first,” Nantel said in a statement. “In the zip codes in question, there have been specific and targeted acts against drivers delivering Amazon packages. We made the deliberate choice to adjust our operations, including delivery routes and times, for the sole reason of protecting the safety of drivers.” Nantel said Amazon has offered to work with the AG’s office on efforts “to reduce crime and improve safety in these areas.”
I like the idea of a high technology outfit trying to reduce crime. I have been the victim of Amazon fraud. I like to mention the women’s underwear shipped to me instead of the $600 Ryzen CPU I ordered. A more recent example was Amazon’s emailing me a picture of a stranger’s door with the message, “Your package has been delivered.” I spent about an hour trying to get a human to address the issue. The response, I think, was we will credit you for the order. When? How? Sorry, I have no idea because the happy Amazon professional based in a third party customer service facility had no clue. I am thinking, “Why doesn’t Amazon do something about the fraud on its own platform?”
I personally have zero confidence that Amazon can address such issues in the District of Columbia. It is known to one resident — my son, who lives in the District — has observed porch pirates following Amazon delivery vans. As soon as the package is left, the porch pirate exits the chase vehicle and takes the package. The fix ranges from designated pick up points in certain vulnerable areas of the District to having a security team follow the porch pirates on their rental scooters, Teslas, and other vehicles. Of course, the alternative is to go to a store like REI in the District of Columbia, shop, and return home. (Oh, sorry, I forgot that Amazon’s business practices have contributed to the demise of brick and mortar retail. Oh, well. It was just a dinobaby thought.)
This will be an interesting legal case to follow. Porch pirates follow Amazon delivery vehicles and prove the value of paying attention.
Stephen E Arnold, December 10, 2024
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