Since it’s the season of giving, Amazon is once again offering customers the chance to thank the company’s drivers with a $5 tip.
Amazon announced Wednesday it’s bringing back the “Alexa, Thank My Driver” program after originally launching it earlier this month.
The initiative was so successful after kicking off in early December that Amazon had to shut it down after one day.
“‘Alexa, thank my driver’ exceeded our expectations. We’re glad to see customers interested in thanking their drivers and encourage them to continue doing so,” Amazon spokesperson Lauren Samaha said in a statement sent to USA TODAY on December 10.
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How do I ‘Thank My Driver’?
Customers with an Alexa-enabled device such as an Echo speaker or Echo Show, or through the retailer’s shopping apps, can simply say “Alexa, Thank My Driver.”
The driver who made the customer’s most recent delivery will receive a $5 tip. Amazon said it would continue the program up until the first million thank-yous from customers.
During the promotion’s first run, the five drivers with the most thank-yous were awarded $10,000, plus an additional $10,000 to their charity of choice.
Why did Amazon stop ‘Thank My Driver’?
Like this new attempt, the first run launched on December 7 and was limited to the first million thank-yous, which Amazon reached within 36 hours.
Amazon faces lawsuit over tips
The tech giant kicked off the first campaign the same day Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine announced a lawsuit accusing Amazon of using more than $1 million from D.C. consumers’ tips between 2016 and 2019 to subsidize its own labor costs.
Under the scheme, the suit claims, the company tricked “consumers into thinking they were increasing drivers’ compensation when Amazon was actually diverting (their) tips to reduce its own labor costs and increase profits.”
“This suit is about providing workers the tips they are owed and telling consumers the truth,” said Racine in a statement.
Contributing: Bailey Schulz, Wyatte Grantham-Philips
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.
Source from www.usatoday.com