Amazon’s „Dash“ order buttons for quick rollout of everyday items in a few weeks to a worthless piece of plastic. The online retailer will block it worldwide on 31st August.
On the other hand, the virtual „Dash“ buttons, which can be set up on the website and in the app, and the automatic „Dash“ reapplication service remain active in devices, the company now said.
Amazon had already stopped selling new order buttons in March. It was then said: „If you now have a ‚Dash‘ button at home, of course, it remains functional.“ Now, Amazon said, however, since the sales stop, the use of hardware buttons „significantly decreased.“
Turning off the physical buttons is the „natural evolution“ of the Dash program: „We’ve always said that we envision a future where customers at home do not have to press a physical button to reorder products.“
For Germany additionally explosive
For Germany, the decision has an additional explosiveness. In January, Amazon in second instance before the Higher Regional Court in Munich lost a lawsuit with the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia over the knobs.
The judges ruled that Amazon violated online trading laws because it lacked clear information on content, pricing, and the reference to a paid order. The buttons, which are reminiscent of a doorbell, have only the logo of the provider of a product and the button that triggers an order.
Amazon had brought the Buttons 2016 to Germany and Austria. To stop the sale, there were about 70 for various items such as detergents, diapers, condoms, coffee and cosmetics. However, hobbyists also partly worked around the buttons so that they could use them to control networked lamps in smart homes, for example. The version of the button for developers – the „AWS IoT Button“, which is intended especially for such applications – will continue to be offered.
