Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) fined Amazon EU SARL PLN 31,850,141 over how Amazon.pl presented delivery estimates, product availability and the terms of its “Guaranteed Delivery” service. The regulator said the design misled consumers and pressured them to order quickly. The penalty is not established as final: an appeal is recorded, and the sources cited here do not establish its current outcome.
Why did Poland fine Amazon?
UOKiK’s decision concerned Amazon EU SARL, one of the sellers on Amazon.pl. It was not a general ruling against every Amazon entity or every seller using the marketplace. The regulator found an infringement of collective consumer interests, focusing on information buyers received about when a sales contract was concluded, whether a product was available, when it would be delivered, and what rights came with Guaranteed Delivery. UOKiK’s announcement said it had received complaints about paid orders that customers did not receive. It also cited repeated cancellations involving popular e-readers, including one cancellation notice sent a month after an order was placed.
The authority’s announcement is dated 27 March 2024. The official register lists the decision as DOZIK-5/2024, dated 26 March 2024, and records an appeal. UOKiK’s 2024 activity report later described the decision as non-final. The available official records do not establish the appeal’s current disposition, so the fine should not be described as a final court judgment.
What were the alleged dark patterns?
Countdown timers and low-stock messages
UOKiK described product pages showing a delivery date alongside messages urging customers to order within a countdown, sometimes paired with a low-stock warning. One example quoted by the regulator was “available items: 2” and “Order within 2 hours 38 min.” UOKiK said these displays encouraged customers to act quickly, even though some orders missed the displayed delivery dates.
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The regulator’s concern was not simply that delivery estimates could change. It said Amazon treated availability and shipping information as indicative, while the interface did not make that qualification clear to shoppers; the limitation could be found in the platform’s terms instead. UOKiK President Tomasz Chróstny said: “If a trader gives a specific delivery date, they must meet it.” The agency also characterized the countdown practice as pressure to make consumers order as soon as possible. These are findings and descriptions from UOKiK’s investigation, not an independent test of Amazon.pl’s current interface.
Guaranteed Delivery terms shown too late
UOKiK said Guaranteed Delivery could allow a customer to request a refund of the delivery fee if the stated delivery window was missed. In the regulator’s account, customers were not given the service rules before ordering. The details appeared at the order-summary stage only if a customer followed links into delivery information, and they were absent from order confirmations. UOKiK challenged the timing and visibility of that information because it affected consumers’ understanding of the service and their rights.
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- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
- Say goodbye to drop-offs and buffering - With eero Built-in, Echo Dot doubles as a mesh wifi extender, adding up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wifi coverage to your existing eero network.
How much was the fine?
UOKiK imposed a fine of PLN 31,850,141 on Amazon EU SARL in decision DOZIK-5/2024. The regulator’s 2025 report on its 2024 activity rounded the amount to about PLN 31.8 million and described the decision as non-final at the time of reporting.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is the UOKiK fine against Amazon final?
No final outcome is established by the official sources cited here. The decision register marks an appeal as filed, and UOKiK’s 2024 activity report described the decision as non-final. Those records do not show whether the appeal has since been resolved, so the March 2024 penalty is best described as an appealed regulatory decision, not a confirmed final judgment.
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- Alexa is happy to help – Ask Alexa for weather updates and to set hands-free timers, get answers to your questions and even hear jokes. Need a few extra minutes in the morning? Just tap your Echo Dot to snooze your alarm.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines triggered by built-in motion or indoor temperature sensors. Create routines to automatically turn on lights when you walk into a room, or start a fan if the inside temperature goes above your comfort zone.
- Do more with device pairing – Fill your home with music using compatible Echo devices in different rooms, or create a home theatre system with Fire TV.
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