Amazon customer claims company locked him out of smart home devices over bogus racism allegations
Jackson said he wasn't home when the delivery driver claimed he was harassed
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An Amazon customer claims that the tech giant locked him out his smart home devices after a delivery driver falsely accused him of using a racial slur.
Brandon Jackson said he was locked out of his Amazon devices from May 25 to May 31 of this year. A smart home is a residence that incorporates smart functions, such as security systems, audio devices and lights.
Jackson detailed his situation in a Medium article titled "A Tale of Unwanted Disruption: My Week Without Amazon."
The homeowner claimed "everything seemed fine" after he had a package delivered on May 24, but was locked out of his Echo Show device the next day. He said he quickly contacted a company representative for assistance.
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The logo of the U.S. online retail giant Amazon is seen at the distribution center in Staten Island on March 30, 2020, in New York. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"The representative told me I should have received an email, which I indeed found in my inbox. It was from an executive at Amazon," Jackson said. "As I dialed the number provided in the email, I half-wondered if Amazon was experiencing some issues and I was unwittingly falling into a scam."
When Jackson connected with an executive, they began the call by asking him if he knew why he was locked out.
"When I answered I was unsure, their tone turned somewhat accusatory," the homeowner wrote. "I was told that the driver who had delivered my package reported receiving racist remarks from my 'Ring doorbell' (it’s actually a Eufy, but I’ll let it slide)."
Jackson then claimed he had video footage proving that no interaction occurred, and none of his family members were in his home at the time.
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A close-up of the Amazon Echo Dot third generation smart speaker with Alexa on light wooden surface, Lafayette, California, with charging cable visible, December 4, 2021. (Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Jackson admitted he wasn't completely "in the dark" the whole week, as his devices were run locally. But he concluded by saying that he was reconsidering his relationship with Amazon.
"After nearly a decade of loyalty, I’ve been given a harsh reminder that a misunderstanding can lead to such drastic measures… Due to this experience, I am seriously considering discontinuing my use of Amazon Echo devices and will caution others about this incident," he wrote.
In this photo illustration an Amazon logo seen displayed on a smartphone. (Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
An Amazon spokesperson told Fox Business that the company is currently trying to remedy the situation.
"We work hard to provide customers with a great experience while also ensuring drivers who deliver Amazon packages feel safe," Spokesperson Simone Griffin said in a statement.
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An Amazon Echo showing the time. ( Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"In this case, we learned through our investigation that the customer did not act inappropriately, and we’re working directly with the customer to resolve their concerns while also looking at ways to prevent a similar situation from happening again," she added.