“Most” European Web sites break consumer law
An investigation by the European Commission has claimed the majority of tech retail Web sites break laws on selling to the public. The biggest problem was failing to inform buyers of their rights, while misleading pricing and a lack of contact details were also problems.
The research involved studying sites from European businesses selling digital cameras, mobile phones, personal music players, DVD players, computer equipment and game consoles.
It’s important to note that the investigators’ selection of the 369 sites will have produced somewhat biased results in the overall figures. While 200 sites were chosen because they were operated by the biggest companies in their industries, and 65 chosen through internet searches, the remaining 104 were checked because consumers had specifically complained about them.
The most common breach, affecting 66 per cent of sites that had been complained about and 34 per cent of sites overall, was failing to explain consumer rights such as the right to return goods within 7 days whether or not they were faulty. In some cases, sites falsely claimed products couldn’t be returned.
The second most common problem was listing prices without giving clear details about extra costs such as delivery charges or taxes. There were also problems with sites failing to give a physical address and the name of the company behind them.
The Commission says carrying out such a large-scale investigation was more efficient as it cut down on duplication by local authorities, for example in disputes where the buyer and seller are from different countries. National governments will now be contacting the sites flagged in the investigation and ordering them to follow the laws or face legal sanctions.
While it’s hardly a comprehensive conclusion, Austria, Bulgaria and Slovenia came off best in the study with no sites violating the laws. Germany had the most offending sites with 21 out of the 29 investigated, while all 12 sites checked in Cyprus had at least one breach.
Related Posts:
