Amazon is inviting prospects to make use of Alexa to “thank my driver” for deliveries throughout the busy vacation interval, simply as the corporate is sued for allegedly withholding ideas.
To mark the milestone of 15 billion deliveries within the US since launching in 1994, the tech big has invited its American prospects to make use of their voice assistant to indicate their gratitude.
Anyone who says “Alexa, thank my driver” will see the individual behind their final package deal notified of their appreciation, and the primary a million will even be tipped $5 without charge to the shopper.
The gesture for the corporate’s “everyday heroes” was introduced on the identical day that the tech big was sued by Washington DC for allegedly withholding ideas from drivers.
The state’s legal professional basic, Karl Racine, mentioned the agency “tricked consumers into thinking they were increasing drivers’ compensation when Amazon was actually diverting tips to reduce its own labor costs and increase profits”.
America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged final 12 months that Amazon, which is headquartered in Seattle, stored drivers’ ideas over a two to two-and-a-half-year interval.
It stopped the observe after studying of the FTC’s investigation in 2019, the watchdog mentioned.
An Amazon spokesperson mentioned the lawsuit is “without merit” because it “involves a practice we changed three years ago”.
Read extra:
Amazon ‘to axe 10,000 staff’
First value enhance for Amazon Prime since 2014
‘Stealing from staff is theft’
Washington’s lawsuit, filed within the district of Columbia, is searching for civil penalties for each violation and a courtroom order to cease the corporate from re-engaging with the observe.
Amazon has already paid $61.7m to greater than 140,000 drivers underneath a settlement with the FTC in 2021, and mentioned it disagreed that the way in which it reported pay to drivers was unclear.
“We added additional clarity in 2019 and are pleased to put this matter behind us,” a spokesperson mentioned on the time.
But Mr Racine mentioned it has nonetheless “escaped appropriate accountability”.
“Stealing from workers is theft,” the legal professional basic added, “and significant penalties are necessary to strongly disincentivize this unlawful conduct.”
Source: information.sky.com”