Reason Why Amazon Faces A Fine Of 1000 Million In UK
Amazon is one of the largest ecommerce platforms in the world, it is the place where users go when they want to buy something that is not within their reach (physically). This is something that the company knows, and as a collective complaint from the United Kingdom collects, it has acted in a disloyal way that has harmed its clients, now it faces a fine of 1,000 million dollars.
The danger of monopolies is that whoever has them can exercise their dominant position and benefit unduly, hiding options that are convenient for the consumer to reward those that benefit them. And this is what the Hausfeld law firm denounces, who have taken legal action against the American giant.
The reason for the lawsuit is because of the Amazon section known as the Buy Box . This section is the one used by Amazon to recommend products so that its customers can buy or add to the basket quickly with a single click.
As a seller on Amazon, if you want to include your product in this section, you have to meet a series of requirements that the company decides. The problem is that the Buy Boxes are a preferred place to make sales and as Hausfeld denounces, Amazon “uses a secret and self-favorable algorithm” so that it is always the products that the company sells directly that appear there.
In this way, users always receive related products sold by Amazon, and in many cases they are deprived of receiving other offers from third-party sellers that offer lower prices or better quality products.
According to the firm’s calculations, since 2016 in the United Kingdom , around 80/90% of purchases made on Amazon were for products that appeared in the Buy Box. Given these unethical practices, Hausfeld considers that the total damage amounts to 900 million pounds sterling (around 1,000 million euros).
“Millions of consumers have paid too much and been denied choice. This action seeks fair redress for them. Amazon capitalizes on the well-known trend of consumers focusing on flashy, prominently placed displays like the Buy Box.” They defend from Hausfeld.
The firm defends that anyone who has resided in the United Kingdom and has bought from Amazon.Co.UK . since October 2016 he is eligible to claim his compensation.
“This claim is unfounded and we trust it will become clear during the legal process. Supporting the 85,000 businesses that sell their products in our UK stores has always been a priority for Amazon. More than half of all product sales physical products come from our commercial partners. We always work to offer our customers the best deals, with low prices and fast deliveries,” a company spokesperson told elEconomista.es.
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