93% Of Online Shoppers In The UK Don’t Know Their Rights

When shopping online, UK consumers have many more rights than they realise. That was the conclusion reached by the recently launched consumer organisation, Safer Shopping.
Although consumers generally are aware of their right to return faulty goods, they are much more in the dark when it comes to the cancelling of orders and the return of unwanted or unsuitable items.

The Consumer Protection Distance Selling (2000) Regulations apply to most products sold online. Full details can be found on the Department Of Trade & Industry website, however examples of the type of things that were misunderstood include …

1. Consumers have a right to cancel their order anytime within a 7 working day "cooling off" period starting from when their order is confirmed.
2. If a customer cancels their order during the cooling off period, the ecommerce retailer must make a full refund within 30 days, even if the customer has not yet returned the goods.
3. Unless the terms and conditions that the consumer agreed to when placing an order state otherwise, it is the responsibility of the retailer to arrange collection of unwanted items.

A spokesman for SaferShopping.org said "Our job is to make it easier for UK consumers to identify online retailers that conduct their businesses in a trustworthy and responsible manner. Part of that task includes the education of consumers and retailers alike."

The Safer Shopping scheme launched on July 1st, and more information can be found at www.safershopping.org

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