A class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on September 12 accuses Amazon of misleading customers by advertising inflated list prices and false discounts on Fire TVs. The lawsuit, brought by plaintiff David Ramirez, claims that Amazon’s pricing practices violate Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.
According to the lawsuit, Ramirez purchased a 50-inch 4-Series Fire TV in February for $299.99, which was advertised as a “Limited time deal” with a strikethrough list price of $449.99. However, price tracking site Camelcamelcamel indicates that the TV had previously been sold for as low as $280 in July, with an average price of $330.59, undermining Amazon’s claims of a significant discount.
The complaint alleges that Amazon’s list prices are often artificially inflated and only reflect the price for “an extremely short period,” in some cases as little as one day. This practice, the lawsuit asserts, not only deceives customers but also creates a false sense of urgency to buy.
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, but the company has previously stated that its list prices are based on suggested retail prices provided by manufacturers and other sellers, claiming that these prices are verified against historical sales data.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, along with an injunction to prevent Amazon from continuing these practices. This case is reminiscent of a 2021 lawsuit in California, where Amazon was penalized $2 million for similar deceptive pricing tactics.
As scrutiny on pricing transparency increases, consumers are encouraged to utilize price-checking tools like Camelcamelcamel and PCPartPicker to ensure they are making informed purchasing decisions when buying tech products online.
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