Dumb Homes FTW: Amazon Proves That Sometimes Less is More When it Comes to Home Technology
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June 17, 2023There are times I’ve thought having a Ring Doorbell or an Alexa could be handy, but after reading this recent story about Amazon going all HAL 9000 on a man’s home, HARD PASS.
Just to give you some background, Brandon Jackson has a smart home, and on May 24 he had a package from Amazon delivered. The transaction didn’t seem abnormal until May 25 when Jackson found himself locked out of his Amazon account and Echo devices.
Why? The Amazon driver who dropped off his package claimed someone said racist remarks to him through the Eufy doorbell.
The kicker: not only is Brandon also black, he wasn’t even home when the package was delivered. The message the driver heard was automated, and it simply had said, “Excuse me, can I help you?”
^^^ the driver, probably.
“The driver, who was walking away and wearing headphones, must have misinterpreted the message. Nevertheless, by the following day, my Amazon account was locked, and all my Echo devices were logged out,” Brandon said.
So, if you have smart devices in your home, SURPRISE! You have zero control over them, and they can be shut off at any time. Oh, and the feds are probably listening to you, too.
What disturbs me most about this scenario is the fact that Amazon didn’t even attempt to contact the homeowner to clarify the driver’s story before giving him the boot. The driver made an accusation and that was enough.
“This incident has led me to question my 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. It seems more reasonable to handle such issues in a more compartmentalized way, rather than a blanket shutdown of all services,” Brandon said.
Sorry, Brandon. But it appears Amazon prefers to make emotional, knee-jerk decisions rather than thoughtfully investigating an accusation. After all, Jeff Bezos is a billionaire and Amazon doesn’t really need you.
What are your thoughts on having a smart home? Are you for or against?
3 Comments
Look at the bright side. If you lose something you can ask the NSA where it is. Hi NSA, how are you guys doing today?
>After nearly a decade of loyalty
Damn, that makes me feel old. The oldest purchase on my account is in 1997, but I know I bought books before that purchase.
Smart homes are nice but also sometimes a pain as I have most of my lights as smart lights so when the power goes out about half of them default to the on state and I have to turn them back off through the app. Fortunately I do not have a digital assistant set up as I really don’t trust those.