Amazon has been fined almost 7.4 million euros by a Polish regulator, partly due to the use of dark patterns. For example, the company used timers to entice customers to buy faster. In addition, Amazon did not honor agreements.
Polish competition and consumer rights regulator UOKiK says that Amazon used timers to indicate that if customers ordered within a certain time, they would receive the product on a certain date. Some products would also show the number of products that were still in stock, along with a timer. UOKiK talks about dark patterns that put pressure on the customer to make a purchase as quickly as possible.
What plays a role in the regulator's decision is that Amazon has set its own deadlines 'for some deliveries'. didn't make it. Products turned out to be out of stock after all. Amazon says it sees these expected delivery dates and stock figures as indicative, but according to UOKiK the company does not explain this clearly enough to customers.
The American company is also being fined because it was not clear about when purchase agreements had been concluded and when not. In the terms and conditions, the company indicates that agreements are not binding and that the company can therefore terminate agreements, for example if a product turns out to be unavailable. Amazon did inform customers about this, but according to UOKiK this was not clear enough. This is what it said in small, gray letters on a white background, at the very bottom of the page. At the same time, the customer was shown slogans such as 'buy now' or 'complete the purchase'. The supervisor therefore found the behavior misleading.
The fine is 31.85 million złoty, equivalent to 7.38 million euros. Amazon tells Reuters it disagrees with the fine and will appeal.