Amazon UK is facing a fine amounting to 65,000 pounds, or more than $84,000, for its failure to comply with regulations associated with shipping dangerous packages. The online retail company has been found guilty on four counts for airmailing perilous goods between November 2013 and May 2015.
A complaint by Royal Mail, which routinely checks items for air freight, has instigated the investigation. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has then brought the grievance to the proper court.
In 2013, Royal Mail has repeatedly voiced out its worries to Amazon in writing. The series of letters reiterate concerns about the retail group's sending of dangerous goods via airmail. A total of 782 packages are cited to contain hazardous materials.
Along the way, the parcels delivery company manages to block three Amazon packages from entering the airmail system. A fourth attempt has been stopped by United Parcel Service (UPS).
Despite the delivery misgivings, Amazon's Defense Counsel Stephen Spence points out that dispatching 331,400,000 shipments during the indictment period "suggest a pretty cracking success rate."
Charges for 11 deliveries have been forwarded by CAA. Amazon has been acquitted on one count while the jury fails to come up with a verdict on six other complaints.
The Aviation Authority claims that a system failure occurred during the process of mislabeling items as safe for airlifting. The goods in question include lithium ion batteries and flammable aerosols.
According to remote reviews from warehouse staff in India, Romania and China, four packages have been designated as safe even though Amazon computers indicated them as precarious.
The E-Commerce company's miscalculations are not without basis. Amazon USA has been facing a $350,000 fine based on a case filed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The hefty penalty is due to improper handling of dangerous items. The Aviation Administration cites that Amazon transacted UPS to deliver a gallon of "Amazing! Liquid Fire" substance from Kentucky to Colorado. The chemical is actually a corrosive drain cleaner. Nine personnel of the parcels delivery company have felt a burning sensation shortly after managing the package. It has been found that the box had a leak. The FAA has noted that the delivery indicated no warning signs. There is also no proper declaration on the packaging. A Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods is supposed to accompany the item.
"From February 2013 to September 2015 alone, Amazon was found to have violated the hazardous materials regulations 24 other times," the FAA said.
