Prime Video: 18,000 people join class action lawsuit in Germany
The class action brought against Prime Video by the consumer advice center in Saxony has been well received: more than 18,000 people have already joined.
(Image: Shutterstock.com; Diego Thomazini)
More than 18,000 people have joined a class action lawsuit against Amazon by the Consumer Advice Center Saxony (Verbraucherzentrale Sachsen). The consumer advice center is taking legal action against the introduction of advertising in Prime Video, which it sees as a hidden price increase.
"Companies like Amazon are not untouchable," said Andreas Eichhorst, Board of the Saxony Consumer Center, commenting on the number of registrations. "Even if the fight against such an influential provider swallows up many resources, we are tackling it and taking a clear stance against such misconduct."
Since February 5, the Amazon streaming service has been showing commercial breaks in films and series as standard. If you don't want to watch the commercials, you have to pay an additional 3 euros per month. Consumer advocates consider this to be illegal. Amazon has only informed its customers about the upcoming step, but has not obtained their permission.
The consumer associations see the introduction of the advertising subscription as a significant change to the contract, for which consent would have been mandatory. They argue that customers would now have to pay more to be able to use the offer as before. Amazon denies the allegations and believes it is in the right.
Refund of 3 euros per month
According to the consumer advice center in Saxony, every user is entitled to a refund of 3 euros per month. As the process is expected to take several years, the sum could increase over the years. The Saxony Consumer Advice Center sees around 17 million potential plaintiffs and calculates a total volume of around 610 million euros per year.
Anyone who had a Prime Video subscription before February 5, 2024 can join the class action. Registration is possible at the Federal Office of Justice, and the consumer advice center provides a form to fill out.
(dahe)
