DC AG sues Amazon for secretly excluding certain neighborhoods from Prime delivery benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A recent lawsuit is accusing Amazon of secretly excluding certain zip codes from Prime delivery benefits in D.C., while continuing to charge the full Prime subscription price.

According to Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, since June 2022, Amazon has secretly excluded two ZIP codes east of the Anacostia River from its advertised the fastest delivery service. 

The lawsuit alleges, despite the exclusion, the company continued to charge approximately 48,000 Prime members living there the full Prime subscription price.

The company is being accused of making a secret internal decision to stop using its fleet of branded trucks to make Prime deliveries to D.C. zip codes 20019 and 20020. Instead, Amazon would deliver packages to these ZIP codes exclusively with third-party delivery services like UPS and the US Postal Service.

"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. 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," said Attorney General Schwalb. 

"We’re suing to stop this deceptive conduct and make sure District residents get what they’re paying for."

Sehree Mickel has lived in southeast D.C. for more than four years and has been an Amazon Prime member for several years.

"It’s not one to two days. It’s more five to six, seven days sometimes. And I’m like…are we still doing Prime? I noticed there were no Prime trucks in our neighborhood, not even on our street or even in the block when you’re leaving to go out, you don’t see any trucks in the area," Mickel said.

 Prior to moving to D.C., Mickel lived in Virginia and wanted to see if location made a difference on one of her packages.

 "So, I reached out. I said, ‘I’m going to send it to my old address in Alexandria.’ They got it in the same day within hours, dog bags. They got it within the same hour. So, I said…‘Hmm…I’m going to send it to my friend in Upper Marlboro’, they got it later that night or early the next morning. Same product, several days? That doesn’t make sense," she said.

Amazon provided FOX 5 DC with a statement on the accusations. Read the full statement from Kelly Nantel, Amazon spokesperson, below: 

"The claims made by the Attorney General, that our business practices are somehow discriminatory or deceptive, are categorically false. 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. 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. And we’re always transparent with customers during the shopping journey and checkout process about when, exactly, they can expect their orders to arrive. What we’d like to do, and have offered, is to work together with the Attorney General and their office in an effort to reduce crime and improve safety in these areas. Nevertheless, we will proceed in the process and demonstrate that providing fast and accurate delivery times and prioritizing the safety of customers and delivery partners are not mutually exclusive."