Arbitration was how they almost always settled disputes with customers. My guess is that they had hundreds, maybe thousands of claims, and depending on the terms, many companies pay for the cost of the arbitrator if the customer requests.
I know in the past that many were down on credit card companies, etc going to arbitration. I thought it was a good move, as for most disputes it was the merchant that often shoulders most of the cost of the process, and you can still be represented in the hearing by an attorney if you so choose.
Now Amazon has essentially walled off sections of the country where customers are not going to file a claim in Federal or State located in King County, WA.
Thanks. And yes, that is a huge change.