Amazon offers 'thanks' to drivers via Alexa - as it's sued over 'withheld tips'

Amazon is inviting customers to usage Alexa to "thank my driver" for deliveries during the engaged vacation period, conscionable arsenic the institution is sued for allegedly withholding tips.

To people the milestone of 15 cardinal deliveries successful the US since launching successful 1994, the tech giant has invited its American customers to usage their dependable adjunct to amusement their gratitude.

Anyone who says "Alexa, convey my driver" volition spot the idiosyncratic down their past bundle notified of their appreciation, and the archetypal 1 cardinal volition besides beryllium tipped $5 astatine nary outgo to the customer.

The motion for the company's "everyday heroes" was announced connected the aforesaid time that the tech elephantine was sued by Washington DC for allegedly withholding tips from drivers.

The state's lawyer general, Karl Racine, said the steadfast "tricked consumers into reasoning they were expanding drivers' compensation erstwhile Amazon was really diverting tips to trim its ain labour costs and summation profits".

America's Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged past twelvemonth that Amazon, which is headquartered successful Seattle, kept drivers' tips implicit a 2 to two-and-a-half-year period.

It stopped the signifier aft learning of the FTC's probe successful 2019, the watchdog said.

An Amazon spokesperson said the suit is "without merit" arsenic it "involves a signifier we changed 3 years ago".

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'Stealing from workers is theft'

Washington's lawsuit, filed successful the territory of Columbia, is seeking civilian penalties for each usurpation and a tribunal bid to halt the institution from re-engaging with the practice.

Amazon has already paid $61.7m to much than 140,000 drivers nether a colony with the FTC successful 2021, and said it disagreed that the mode it reported wage to drivers was unclear.

"We added further clarity successful 2019 and are pleased to enactment this substance down us," a spokesperson said astatine the time.

But Mr Racine said it has inactive "escaped due accountability".

"Stealing from workers is theft," the lawyer wide added, "and important penalties are indispensable to powerfully disincentivize this unlawful conduct."