Web Growth Consulting Blog » e-commerce

Our August 2010 email newsletter

Dinesh Fernando — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:15:09 +0000

Our August 2010 email newsletter reports on how big companies like Next and Debenhams have been breaking the UK Distance Selling Regulations by not refunding the original delivery charge on returns.

Please view the newsletter here: August 2010 email newsletter

Big companies break refund rules for e-commerce

Dinesh Fernando — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:54:33 +0000

Next and some other big online retailers have been breaking the law regarding refunds for goods bought online. Under the Distance Selling Regulations the consumer is entitled to a refund for the goods AND original delivery charge if returned within 7 days of receiving the item.

Next and some other retailers such as Littlewoods and Debenhams have interpreted the law incorrectly by not refunding the full cost of the item and delivery charge. Debenhams and Littlewoods will only refund the delivery charge if the item is faulty, but this still breaks the law. On the vendor’s side, they are not liable for refunding the cost of the consumer returning the unwanted item.

The Distance Selling Regulations (DSR) were introduced in 2000 to protect mail order and online shoppers as they can’t inspect the item before making a purchase.

Once a purchase is made without face-to-face contact then there are some key time periods where

- Unless pre-agreed, the item should be delivered within a statutory 30 days from purchase.
- For goods, the consumer has seven working after receiving the item to return it and be entitled to a full refund of the cost AND delivery charge.
- The refund must be made within 30 days of the cancellation of the order

Consumers do not have the right to full refunds under the DSR for perishable goods, personalised or custom-made products, magazines and unwrapped CDs.

For more information visit the following web pages:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10560466.stm

http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/business_leaflets/general/oft698.pdf

Please get in touch if you have any questions regarding selling online. Despite the legal requirements it can be an effective addition to your usual selling channels and we can tailor solutions to suit any budget.

How to spot a fake website

Dinesh Fernando — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:02:25 +0000

Thousands of UK consumers have recently been duped into buying fake designer clothing and footwear. The goods were up for sale on focusclothing.co.uk (please DON`T visit) and on outward appearances, the website seemed genuine. It looked professional, customers could track their orders, payments were made securely and confirmation emails were sent out promptly. There were even people answering the phone.

The only problem was that goods never arrived.

The website is currently down for maintenance, the call centre numbers have been terminated and thousands of people are trying to get refunds from their credit card companies.

We are very concerned how such a company could get hold of an Internet Merchant Account (so they can debit credit cards) and a secure server (the padlock that appears on websites to indicate you are transmitting confidential information) as both normally require lots of form filling and hard proof of business credentials. That said, smart criminals are adept at getting around this type of requirement so here are some tips for spotting a fake website:

Ask yourself whether the site is selling brand name items at too cheap a price.
Check where the website is registered, how long it has been registered and to whom it is registered. You can search for domain name registrant information using an online search tool, such as whois.com and nominet.org.uk (for .uk domain names).
Always check for feedback, both positive and negative. Enter the website name into a search engine
Find out about the company you’re buying from and where it is based. Companies should supply their full geographic address, not just a post office box or mailbox number. Check the address using a search engine – you can often find out if it is just a mail forwarding service.
Find out how to contact the company and look for a landline number. Establish if the number works or whether it is just an automated message or an answer phone. Be wary if only an email address or mobile phone number is provided.
Beware of companies that have recently set up and have a tiny or non-existent internet footprint.

See this article for more background information:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jan/15/focusclothing-customers-out-of-pocket

Please get in touch to discuss any aspect of e-commerce.