Amazon Is Being Sued Over Fire TV Sticks That Stopped Working. Here's What You Need to Know
Key takeaways
- There are probably a few old Fire TV Sticks still plugged into TVs across the country, collecting dust and loading just slowly enough to make you wonder whether it's time to replace them.
- Merewhuader said that a few years later, he experienced slower streaming speeds, difficulty navigating menus and long load times.
- He purchased new Fire TV Sticks in 2024, according to the filing.
There are probably a few old Fire TV Sticks still plugged into TVs across the country, collecting dust and loading just slowly enough to make you wonder whether it's time to replace them. According to a proposed class-action suit filed in California, that sluggishness isn't an accident. The suit alleges that Amazon deliberately ended software support for first- and second-generation Fire TV Sticks without adequately disclosing its plans to do so, effectively pushing functional hardware into early obsolescence and steering frustrated owners toward buying newer models.
The plaintiff named in the suit, Bill Merewhuader, filed in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, said he purchased two second-generation Fire TV Stick devices from Best Buy in 2018, four years after the company debuted its first Fire TV Stick. Merewhuader said that a few years later, he experienced slower streaming speeds, difficulty navigating menus and long load times.
He eventually was unable to use the device. He purchased new Fire TV Sticks in 2024, according to the filing.