Amazon Customers Receiving Cash Windfalls due to Lawsuit

If you buy eBooks, you could be in for some cash!

It was like Christmas in our little reading group yesterday, and playing Santa Claus was Amazon as they credited cash back to hundreds and hundreds of Amazon accounts after the settlement of a price fixing lawsuit.

If you received an email this week telling you that you have cash credit then it’s probably not a scam, check your Amazon account as if you downloaded eBooks between 2010 and 2012 you’ll be in for credit to spent on site.

The payments are being made after the settlement of an Antitrust lawsuit. The attorneys of 33 jurisdictions sued Apple, accusing it of fixing eBook prices with five U.S publishers. The case surrounded publishers, Hachette, HarperCollins, Holtzbrinck, Penguin, and Simon & Schuster and if you bought an eBook from any of the publishers between April 1st 2010 and May 21st 2012 then chances are you’ll receive a credit.

Despite some of the conversations taking place today, Amazon has not been sued, they are simply redistributing money from Apple, who are said to have worked with the publishers to fix the price of eBooks. If you are eligible for a credit then you don’t need to do anything to claim it, just check your Amazon account and see if there is a credit there. All affected accounts have received an email, so if you got yours then it isn’t a scam, just check your Amazon account and you’ll see the credit there waiting to be spent. Credits are only valid until June 24th 2017, so you have a year to spend any cash that has been awarded to you, but they will expire after this date.

If you’re not an Amazon customer but you buy eBooks from other sources such as Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo or Google then you will still be eligible for the credit, just check your emails and keep an eye on your account for it to appear.