Bill Merewhuader has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Amazon in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging the company intentionally degraded early Fire TV Stick devices. The plaintiff claims his second-generation sticks, bought in 2018, became unusable due to slower speeds and long load times. The suit targets U.S. owners of first- or second-generation devices as of early 2023.
Bill Merewhuader purchased two second-generation Fire TV Stick devices from Best Buy in 2018, four years after Amazon's debut of the first Fire TV Stick in 2014. A few years later, he reported slower streaming speeds, difficulty navigating menus, and extended load times, eventually rendering the devices unusable. Merewhuader replaced them with new Fire TV Sticks in 2024, according to the court filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He alleges Amazon deliberately impaired older devices to encourage hardware upgrades, 'bricking' them before the end of their useful life. The complaint further claims Amazon failed to warn buyers about impending obsolescence and that device performance fell short of marketing promises. The proposed class includes U.S. residents owning first-generation Fire TV Sticks as of January 1, 2023, or second-generation ones as of April 1, 2023. Amazon has not immediately responded to requests for comment, and the plaintiff's lawyers declined further statements. Streaming devices from major tech firms, such as Apple's 2007 Apple TV and Google's 2013 Chromecast, commonly lose functionality over time as they fail to support newer apps or features.
