An Amazon Locker in March 2018 at the entrance to the company's Westport, Conn. store.
Photo: Alexander Soule / Hearst Connecticut Media
Photo: Alexander Soule / Hearst Connecticut Media
Connecticut AG levels broadside at Amazon alleging illegal price gouging
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Connecticut’s attorney general accusing Amazon of failing to police its websites for illegal markups of merchandise, while reiterating a request for state residents to report price gouging to his office.
AG William Tong said he wants information from Amazon “regarding efforts to detect and combat price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic” noting that any such instances are illegal following an emergency declaration last week by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.
Tong’s complaint came even as Amazon confirmed Thursday what it believes to be the first diagnosis of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in its employee population, with a warehouse worker in New York City contracting the virus.
Tong indicated he has sent similar letters to other unnamed Connecticut retailers, while singling out Amazon publicly for its market heft.
“With the size of its market share, Amazon plays a crucial role in deterring price gouging, and assisting law enforcement in bringing predatory sellers to account,” Tong stated in the letter to Amazon.
Tong said an Amazon shopper complained of being charged $400 in shipment fees for two boxes of face masks sold for less than $100, one of more than 130 complaints by consumers who say they were overcharged in stores or online for basic supplies like disinfectants, hand sanitizers and toilet paper.
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The company is among the state’s larger employers, both through its subsidiary chain Whole Foods Market as well as its website distribution centers in North Haven and Wallingford, and with another planned for Stratford at last report.
Last month, Amazon opened its first retail store in Connecticut, an Amazon 4-star outlet at the new SoNo Collection mall in South Norwalk, with Connecticut malls having been ordered to close as Lamont looks to limit mass gatherings during the outbreak.
Price gouging complaints can be filed online at www.dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint.
Ken Dixon contributed to this report.