Following an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading, a number of online retailers have been warned that they must change their websites before Christmas to comply with consumer protection law.
In the largest sweep of its kind so far, the regulator checked the sites of the 100 most-used online retailers in the country, as well as the most popular clothing sites, and found that 62 of the 156 surveyed may not be fully complying with the law.
Among the most common problems found were retailers wrongly telling customers that goods must be in their original packaging or in their original condition when returned, which is potentially in breach of the buyer’s right to inspect or assess what they have bought.
Consumers buying online are covered by the Distance Selling Regulations, which state that purchased goods must be delivered within 30 days and that consumers should be given a 7-day cooling-off period, during which they can cancel an order and get a full refund. They also have all the usual consumer rights as if they had bought the goods in a ‘real’ shop.
Other breaches of the law were where sites told buyers that there would be compulsory extra charges, such as for delivery, and then added extra charges on top, such as for card charges or luggage fees.
While nearly two-thirds of the retailers failed to provide an email contact address, as opposed to a web contact, which is in breach of E-Commerce regulations.
However, the OFT investigation found that most online retailers did comply with their obligations under the Distance Selling Regulations and has written to those which may be misleading customers.
Those who do not comply could be taken to court and fined.