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  • 2016-06-23 (xsd:date)
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  • Amazon Issues Credits in e-Book Settlement (nl)
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  • On 21 June 2016, a number of Amazon.com shoppers were surprised to find (sometimes sizeable) credits had been applied to their accounts due to a recently settled lawsuit (over unfair competition in the e-book market) that they didn't know about. The sudden appearance and relative ease of collection of these credits (customers didn't have to take any proactive steps to claim their shares) led to some skepticism among social media users familiar with the endless parade of online hoaxes and scams offering everything from free plane tickets to free Disney vacations to and free gift cards. However, the reports were accurate. Beginning in June 2016, Amazon members could click a link to determine whether they were eligible for (or had already received) credits good for any Amazon purchases. The main settlement page provides both general information and individual credit status: Additional information about the lawsuit is available via a 2012 United States Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, as well as a 20 June 2016 release issued by involved lawyers. The DOJ's statement holds that entities party to the suit [conspired] to end e-book retailers’ freedom to compete on price, take control of pricing from e-book retailers and substantially increase the prices that consumers pay for e-book, [and publishers] prevented retail price competition resulting in consumers paying millions of dollars more for their e-books: Amazon's appended Frequently Asked Questions page explains the settlement terms and defined eligibility for affected parties: The FAQ also noted that no action is required on the part of customers to receive their credits; eligible parties will see credits applied to their accounts automatically on Amazon.com: The FAQ includes a link for signed-in users to view their current credit balance and confirms that the funds can be applied to nearly all Amazon purchases (with minor exclusions): Coincidentally, the largely unexpected Amazon credits came on the heels of a similar class action settlement involving Ticketmaster. As with the Amazon disbursement, many Ticketmaster customers were pleased to learn that the terms of a settlement entitled those who'd purchased tickets through Ticketmaster.com between 1999 and 2013 to free passes and vouchers for a number of selected concerts. In both cases, customers were simply required to log into their accounts on those web sites to redeem their credits or vouchers. (en)
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