The Amazon Echo Spot was recently listed at $0, but of course, getting free Alexa-powered smart speakers was simply too good to be true.
Amazon launched the Echo Spot smart speaker late last year with a price tag of $129.99. The device is considered the smaller and cheaper version of the Echo Show, with a circular body and a 2.5-inch display.
No Such Thing As Free Amazon Echo Spot
The white version of the Echo Spot smart speaker was briefly listed on Amazon for $0. Given the popularity of the Alexa-powered device, customers jumped at the chance to get it for free.
It was unclear why Amazon would be giving away the white Echo Spot when its black counterpart was being sold at $99.99. That was a $30 discount, but nowhere near as valuable as getting a smart speaker for free.
Was Amazon sending out free Echo Spot smart speakers to apologize for something? Was the company trying to get rid of old stock to make way for a new batch? Was the website hacked, with the attackers thinking that setting the Echo Spot price at $0 was their best move?
Unfortunately for Amazon customers who were able to place an order for a $0 Echo Spot, it was too good to be true.
Amazon has started to cancel the orders that were placed for the Echo Spot during the brief window when it was free.
"We noticed an error in an order you recently placed and wanted to make you aware of the issue. Due to a technical error, the price of the Echo Spot that you purchased on July 29, 2018 was incorrectly listed," Amazon wrote in an email to customers. "Because of this error, we are unable to fulfill your Echo Spot order. We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused."
The white Echo Spot, meanwhile, continues to be listed as unavailable on the Amazon website. The reason behind the wrong Echo Spot price is still unknown, but it is clear that nobody will be getting free smart speakers any time soon.
Amazon Echo Problems
There have been a few Amazon Echo issues reported recently. A report from June claimed that the products were made in poor working conditions by Chinese workers. Meanwhile, in May, a pair of privacy breaches was revealed, with the smart speaker secretly recording a conversation and sending it to a random contact, and concerns over Echo Dot Kids.
The free Echo Spot turning out to be an error on Amazon's part is not really a problem when compared to these issues, but at least it serves as a fun break.
