Amazon.com was sued in a proposed U.S. class action accusing the online retailer of violating a consumer protection law by steering hundreds of millions of shoppers to higher-priced items in order to earn extra fees.
According to a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in Seattle, Amazon's algorithm for choosing what to display in its "Buy Box" when shoppers search for products often obscures lower-priced options with faster delivery times.
The complaint was filed by two California residents.
Attorney for the plaintiffs, Steve Berman says they are seeking damages for Amazon's alleged violations since 2016 of a Washington state law against deceptive trade practices, which resulted in a great burden placed upon its customers.
Amazon declined to comment.