The fight to hold the e-commerce giant accountable for faulty or harmful products has passed a major milestone. Amazon released its A-to-Z guarantee this month, which addresses issues with injuries due to defective products sold through Amazon’s website. Whether the product is from third-party sellers or manufactured by Amazon itself, the massive retailer will now compensate those who have damages from these products.
In the past, claims of property damage or personal injury that resulted from faulty products had to be made through a Sherman Oaks personal injury attorney. Multiple successful product liability lawsuits had been filed against Amazon, and this undoubtedly contributed to their decision to directly pay customers for claims under $1,000, which is more than 80% of claims.
Where do the sellers come into play? Amazon has made its fortune off third-party sellers who choose the online retailer as a vehicle for their product sales. Before, Amazon tried to push all liability onto the third-party sellers, but under the A-to-Z guarantee, third-party sellers do not have to compensate their customers. Amazon also plans to intervene to pay higher amounts in situations where the seller rejects a claim or is completely unresponsive.
This is a huge milestone in holding Amazon accountable for property damage and bodily harm that resulted from its many cheaply-made products. This decision is company-wide, affecting every state. Each state has different rules on Amazon’s role in product liability, and California’s state law is that Amazon could be sued by defective product lawyers in Sherman Oaks when consumers were injured by third-party products it sold on its website.
Now, consumers can receive up to $1,000 in compensation directly from the retailer without having to contact a product liability attorney. However, Amazon still has to verify each claim before any money is paid out, and it may prove difficult to convince the retailer to compensate someone.
The need for product injury lawyers likely will not end, despite the A-to-Z guarantee.