The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said more than a third of the UK’s top retailers could be breaking consumer laws. A report published by The OFT found unreasonable restrictions on refunds and compulsory charges being added without prior warning at the checkout. 156 popular websites were reviewed and the report suggests that 62 may not fully comply with consumer protection law.
The lessons to be learned before the important run-up to Christmas are threefold.
Firstly, retailers are wrongly telling customers that returned goods must be in their original packaging or in their original condition. The OFT said this could be in breach of the buyer’s right to consider and review the product.
Secondly, nearly two-thirds of retailers reviewed did not provide an email contact address, which is a breach of eCommerce regulations.
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Thirdly, 15% of retailers notified customers of compulsory charges (e.g. delivery) but then added extra, hidden and unexpected charges as well.
The OFT found that most of the surveyed retailers complied with their other obligations under the Distance Selling Regulations. For more information about internet customer rights the OFT has provided this useful video.