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Amazon is Shipping Expired Food, From Baby Formula to Old Beef Jerky, Scaring Consumers and Putting
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Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956
Amazon's spokesperson said the company uses a combination of humans and artificial intelligence to monitor the 22 million-plus pieces of customer feedback received weekly for product quality and safety concerns. Amazon may remove products or suspend an account if the seller violates its policies.
"We work hard to make sure customers receive high-quality products when they order from our store," the spokesperson said. "We have robust processes in place to ensure customers receive products with sufficient shelf life.
"If customers have concerns about items they've purchased, we encourage them to contact our Customer Service directly and work with us so we can investigate and take appropriate action," the spokesperson added.
Regulators and lawmakers are paying closer attention to Amazon's every move now as part of a broader review of Big Tech. Specific to consumer safety, three Democratic senators recently sent a letter [cnbc.com] to CEO Jeff Bezos [cnbc.com] after a Wall Street Journal [wsj.com] report found thousands of unsafe or banned products on the site.
In response to the request, Brian Huseman, Amazon's vice president of public policy, said that "bad actors are constantly attempting to evade our automatic tools and review procedures."
Amazon says it feeds data from suspended listings and accounts into its AI systems so they can get better at detection and at blocking suspicious activity. Human moderators can also trigger an investigation if they receive feedback suggesting a product is unsafe. In the food category, Amazon uses a database called "Heartbeat" to monitor customer commentary through reviews, phone calls, emails and seller feedback for safety issues.
Even with all these tools, several consultants who advise sellers say Amazon needs to rely on more than just customer complaints and refunds to catch expired foods. They argue that Amazon needs to devise new strategies to police the marketplace more effectively and improve detection of questionable products, while strictly enforcing its policies when third-party sellers break the rules.
Sorscher of CSPI says Amazon's technology is clearly coming up short.
"Expiration dates are a red flag for what else is harder to see," she said. "If you can't do something as basic as check an expiration date, then what else are you missing?"
The analysis that data firm 3PM performed for CNBC on best-selling food products and customer complaints fits with what the firm has seen in other categories.
