Amazon, fined 10 million by the Antitrust: induces consumers to make periodic purchases

MILAN – Ten million fine for having set the pre-selection of the periodic purchase on its platform, for many products present on e-commerce, limiting the freedom of consumers.

Here is the important sanction that the Competition and Market Authority has imposed “jointly and severally on two companies of the Amazon group, the Luxembourg companies Amazon Services Europe S.à rl and Amazon EU S.à rl”, we read in a Note.

The Antitrust, he explains, has ascertained that Amazon implements an unfair commercial practice consisting in the pre-selection of periodic purchases for a wide selection of products offered on its site. “In particular, on the web page where the characteristics of the selected item are described, the option “purchase periodic” rather than “single purchase”, is for products sold by Amazon and for products sold by third parties on marketplace.In this way, consumers’ freedom of choice is considerably limited. The graphic pre-tick of the recurring purchase induces you to periodically buy a product – even without actual need – thus limiting your choice”.

According to the Antitrust then, this conduct is “in contrast with the canon of professional diligence because an operator of the importance of Amazon would be required to build online interfaces relating to purchasing processes, in order to allow consumers to make commercial choices free and aware.”

The story suggests that there was an exchange between the parties. In fact, at the start of the investigation, the pre-selection of paid fast delivery was also contested. “With respect to this conduct, the Authority has accepted the commitments proposed by Amazon which in the future will only predefine the free delivery option. Furthermore, the two companies will provide compensation to consumers who turned to Customer Service to complain about this conduct during 2023.”

The company responds to the Antitrust initiative by saying it “strongly disagrees” and announcing an appeal. “Every day, customers benefit from the Subscribe and Save program by saving money and time on regular deliveries of products they use regularly. Since its launch in Italy, Amazon.it customers have saved over 40 million euros thanks to orders placed with Subscribe and Save. Our priority has always been to gain and maintain customer trust and we will continue to work to offer them a great shopping experience through low prices, wide selection and fast delivery.”